Mihály Biró (Hungarian, 1886–1948)

Poster: Népszava (The People's Voice),
year. XLI, no. 1 (January 1, 1913), c. 1913–1918.
Letterpress and lithograph, 49 1/2 x 36 7/8” (125.5 x 93.75 cm)

In 1912, Mihály Biró (Hungarian, 1886–1948) created the first version of his “red man” motif in the form of a poster for Népszava (The People’s Voice), a publishing house (and left-wing trade union newspaper) run by his older brother Dezsö. His monumental male nude wielding a hammer, a proletarian hero symbolizing victory of the Hungarian workers’ movement, became an omnipresent icon of Socialist power. A leading propaganda artist for the short-lived Soviet Republic of Hungary (March 21 to August 1, 1919), Biró was forced to leave Hungary for Vienna on November 1, 1919. In Vienna, he was active as a commercial poster designer. His “letter-image” advertisements in which he created pictorial contexts for letters—such as his “MEM” designs for M.E. Mayer’s perfume and soap company featured here—are among his most striking commercial works.

For more biographical information on Biró, click here.

Poster: De Luxe Rasierklingen (Deluxe Razor Blades),
M. E. Mayer Parfümerie- und Seifenfabrik, Vienna, 1922
Lithograph, 12 1/2 x 14" (31.7 x 35.5 cm)

Damokles Klinge (Blade of Damocles) Razor Blades,
M. E. Mayer Parfümerie- und Seifenfabrik, Vienna, 1922

L: Maquette for poster. Gouache on paper, 50 1/4 x 37 1/4” (128 x 95 cm)
R: Poster. Lithograph, 49 x 37 3/8” (124.5 x 95 cm). Museum für angewandte Kunst, Vienna (PI 25)

Seifen, Klingen (Soap, Blades),
M. E. Mayer Parfümerie- und Seifenfabrik, Vienna, c. 1925

L: Maquette for poster. Gouache on paper, 59 1/4 x 36 1/2” (150.5 x 92.5 cm)
R: Poster. Lithograph, 62 1/2 x 37 3/8” (159 x 95 cm). Museum für angewandte Kunst, Vienna (PI 1112)

Seifen (Soap), M. E. Mayer Parfümerie- und Seifenfabrik, Vienna, c. 1921

L: Maquette for poster. Gouache on paper, 48 1/2 x 36 1/2” (123 x 92.5 cm)
R: Poster. Lithograph, 49 5/8 x 37 3/8” (126 x 95 cm).
Museum für angewandte Kunst, Vienna (Pl 5184)

III. Wiener Internationale Messe (Third International Viennese Trade Fair) (September 10–18, 1922), Vienna, 1922

L: Maquette for poster. Gouache on paper, 49 1/2” x 37 1/4” (125.75 x 94 cm)
R: Poster. Lithograph, 49 5/8 x 37 3/8” (126 x 95 cm).
Museum für angewandte Kunst, Vienna (Pl 1697)

ABADIE: Papier a cigarettes (ABADIE Cigarette Paper), 1924

L: Maquette for poster. Gouache on paper, 96 3/4 x 36 3/4” (245.75 x 93.25 cm)
R: Poster. Lithograph, 99 1/8 x 37 3/8” (252 x 95 cm).
Museum für angewandte Kunst, Vienna (Pl 5192)

De Telegraat (The Telegraph), 1925

L: Maquette for poster. Gouache on paper, 49 1/4 x 36 1/4” (125 x 92 cm)
R: Poster. Lithograph, 49.6 x 37.4” (126 x 95 cm). Private collection

Maquette for poster: Ehrlich Schuhe, c. 1927
Gouache on paper, 49 1/4 x 36 1/4” (125 x 92 cm)

Poster: Kast und Ehinger Druckfarben Fabrik
(Kast und Ehinger Printer’s Ink Factory), Wien, c. 1920–1928.
Lithograph, 26 x 15 1/2” (67.3 x 39.3 cm)

May 29, 2024