McKnight Kauffer - American Airlines Washington- 1940s

Ted McKnight Kauffer (1890 -1954) Of MckNight Kauffer it has been written (by Rennart) "Born in Montana, USA. He studied in San Francisco and Paris. Kauffer came to London in 1914 and in 1915 he was commissioned by Frank Pick at London Transport. From this time he was an extremely influential designer of posters, theatre costume, exhibition designs, murals, book illustrations, carpets and textiles. He and his wife Marion Dorn, also an accomplished designer, made a dynamic and glamorous couple. Kauffer returned to America in 1940. Many retrospective exhibitions of his work have been held, including those at the Museum of Modern Art, New York and at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Kauffer's connections to the artistic avant-garde in France and Britain placed him at the forefront of developments in the visual language of advertsing during the 1930s and 40's. He ranks as one of the most significant designers of the 20c - in Britain or anywhere in the world." Kauffer's work was graphic in the sense that - at least to me - there were few extraneous flourishes - there was a message, it was clear, and it was delivered cleanly, in elegant style. This poster, done in 1948 as one of a series he did for American Airlines, is a perfect example of the work for which he is rightly regarded as a pioneer and an expert. Although many in the American Airlines series have come up at auction over the years, I have not been able to find evidence of this one being offered anywhere before. This poster is not presently linen backed and displays slight fraying at the left side. Either linen backing or framing will remove this issue entirely - I mention it only in the interest of full disclosure. Poster measures 30.5 x 40 inches. PLEASE NOTE: ALL OF OUR POSTERS ARE ORIGINAL, NON REPRODUCTION, VINTAGE PIECES.We are happy to ship worldwide: prices quoted below are for surface mail (which can take anywhere between two to four months). If you wish speedier delivery - FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc. we will be happy to look into those costs - based upon buyers location and let you know what increased delivery fees would be. We will answer any questions, and/or send additional photos upon request. Thanks for your interest.