Typographie Ausstellung, Gewerbemuseum Basel 1960 [Emil Ruder]

Typographie: 50 Jahre Handsetzervereinigung Basel, 1960. Ausstellung, Gewerbemuseum Basel, Switzerland. 5.75 x 8.25, pp. 68 plus covers with German text. Meticulously designed by Emil Ruder. Printed in Basel.

Rare. Published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name from Nov 5 to Dec 23, 1960 to commemorate 50 years of the Basel Typesetters Association. Foreword by the museum’s director, B. von Grüningen and introductory essay “Typographie als Mitteilung und als Form” by Ruder. Followed by extensive text tracing the development of modern typography from 1890 to 1959 with sections covering Art Nouveau; Dada, Futurism and Surrealism; and the Elementary Typography of the Bauhaus, European and Russian Constructivists. The last section covers the present and is signed “A.H.”, perhaps Armin Hofmann. Heavily illustrated throughout with (104) black and white examples, (22) full page.

Illustrated examples by: Otto Eckmann, Bruce Rogers, Wassily Kandinsky, Tristan Tzara, Francis Picabia, Kurt Schwitters, Ardengo Soffici, F. T. Marinetti, Marcel Duchamp, Theo van Doesburg, Guillaume Apollinaire, Joost Schmidt, Herbert Bayer, El Lissitzky, Karel Teige, Piet Zwart, Cassandre, Therese Moll, Max Huber, Franco Grignani, Max Bill, Anthony Froshaug, Adrian Frutiger, Jan Tschichold, Ruder, Robert Büchler, Ralph Coburn, Herb Lubalin, Bob Gill, Karl Gerstner and others. 

This iconic cover design groups the vowels and consonants of the upper and lowercase alphabet while integrating the exhibition title “typographie” into the design. Ruder adapted this design from Robert Büchler’s cover of Typographische Monatsblätter and exhibition poster.

A very good, lightly handled softcover with gently soiled white covers and a few small dings/creases throughout. A tiny tear to the top of the rear cover and last page with a small Wittenborn Art Books label on the inside rear cover. Rare.