Herbert Leupin

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Herbert Leupin (1916–1999) graphic artist, graphic designer, poster designer, painter and draftsman, grave in the Hörnli cemetery, Riehen, Basel-Stadt
Grave in the Hörnli cemetery , Riehen, Basel-Stadt

Herbert Leupin (* 20th December 1916 in Beinwil ; † 21st September 1999 in Basel ) was a Swiss graphic artist and graphic designer , specializing in commercial art and internationally known for his poster art .

life and work

Leupin's poster on a house wall in Luven

Herbert Leupin attended the arts and crafts school in Basel from 1931 to 1935 . He received a scholarship to attend the private school École Paul Colin in Paris, where he attended nude drawing lessons with Albert Borer from 1935 to 1936. From 1937 Leupin worked as a freelance graphic artist with his own studio in Augst . In 1937 he worked for some time in Donald Brun's studio .

In 1939 he won first prize in a poster competition for the Federal Marksmen of Lucerne . From 1944 to 1949 he worked on a commission to illustrate a publication of the Grimm Brothers' fairy tales . In 1948 he illustrated the children 's book Father's Hat Makes a Journey .

In 1945 he married Elsa Schamberger, his first son Thomas was born in 1948 and his second son Charles in 1953.

From 1951 to 1968 Leupin worked as an advertising consultant and graphic designer for Reemtsma AG in Hamburg , including for the cigarette brand Salem No. 6 . In 1952 he received awards for the posters for Salem No. 6, also for his work for Milka . He invented the foundation for Milka's purple cow in 1952 .

In 1957 Herbert Leupin had his first solo exhibitions in the USA ( Chicago ) and Germany ( Offenbach and Hamburg). In 1958 he was offered a professorship at the Hochschule für Grafik in Frankfurt am Main , which he did not accept.

In 1960 he received the Medal Award from the Art Directors Club Chicago , as well as the Certificate of Merit from the Art Directors Club in New York City . During this time Leupin began to work increasingly as an artistic graphic designer. In 1961 he won first prize at the International Poster Competition of Toronto . In 1964, his works were shown in the graphics department at documenta III in Kassel . In 1968 he won the gold medal at the Warsaw Poster Biennale . In 1969 he had his first retrospective at the Gewerbemuseum Basel , and in 1972 another retrospective at the German Poster Museum in Essen . In 1974 he was awarded the Ernst Litfaß Medal in Kassel. Of his numerous poster designs, a total of 89 posters were awarded a certificate of recognition from the Federal Department of Home Affairs among the “ best Swiss posters of the year ” . In 1990 Leupin was accepted into the “Hall of Fame” of the Art Directors Club Switzerland .

Herbert Leupin designed the signet for the first Art Basel in 1970 and thus created the logo of what is still the most important art fair for modern and contemporary art.

“ Herbert Leupin [...] is one of the most productive Swiss poster artists. In the course of a long and successful design activity with an imposing total of around 1000 posters, he has enlivened the Swiss, but also the international poster landscape enormously and accentuated it. Today it can be called the symbol of Swiss graphics. He is unmatched in his visual and verbal wit, as well as in his charm and humor. "

- Claudia Steinfels

Exhibitions (selection)

  • 1957: Werkkunstschule Offenbach ; Museum of Arts and Crafts , Hamburg; Art gallery Bremen ; Carson's World Center , Chicago
  • 1958: Pflug , Lahr
  • 1960: Normandy House Gallery , Chicago
  • 1961: Notice board , Zurich
  • 1964: documenta III , Kassel
  • 1969: Basel Trade Museum
  • 1972: German Poster Museum , Essen
  • 1973: Galerie Läubli , Zurich
  • 1974: Hotel Reiss , Kassel, exhibition accompanying the award of the Ernst Litfaß Medal
  • 1975: HILT Gallery , Basel
  • 1976: Ebenrain Castle , Sissach
  • 1977: Galerie Wiedenkeller , Zurich
  • 1980: Zurich city hall
  • 1981: Kursaal Interlaken ; Wiedenkeller Gallery , Zurich
  • 1983: CSU Directions Gallery , Colorado / USA, Galerie Trittligasse , Zurich
  • 1986: Migros Club School , Bern
  • 1987: Sandoz Basel
  • 1988: Galerie Kröner , Zurich; Galerie Loeffel , Basel
  • 1991: Commercial Bank Baden; Swiss Youth Book Institute , Zurich
  • 1992: Museum of Design, Basel
  • 1993: Willisau Town Hall
  • 1995: World Trade Center , Zurich
  • 1996: HILT Gallery , Basel
  • 2003: Basel poster collection ( Basel School of Design )

literature

  • documenta III. International exhibition. Catalog. Volume 1: Painting and Sculpture , Volume 2: Hand Drawings ; Volume 3: Industrial Design, Graphics . Kassel / Cologne 1964.
  • Ruth Fassbind-Eigenheer: With Herbert Leupin in fairy tale land . In: Librarium: Journal of the Swiss Bibliophile Society, BD. 34, 1991, pp. 129– 149. ( digitized version )
  • Charles Leupin, Karl Lüönd : Herbert Leupin: posters, pictures, graphics. Basel / Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-7245-0883-2 .
  • Charles Leupin: Herbert Leupin. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Claudia Steinfels, lic. phil. I, art historian, at: www.poster-auctioneer.com, Guido Tön AG, Zurich 2009

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Leupin, Herbert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss graphic artist
DATE OF BIRTH December 20, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Beinwil am See
DATE OF DEATH September 21, 1999
Place of death Basel