Julius Klinger (Austrian, 1876–1942)

In addition to their graphic interest, Klinger’s advertising work in Berlin and Vienna offers a glimpse of Jewish-owned businesses in those cities in prior to Kristallnacht (Nov 9, 1938–Nov 10, 1938). Below is a brief chronology of the artist’s life, followed by images of posters in the collection. For a more detailed biography and bibliography, click here.

1876. Born in Dombach near Vienna on May 22, 1876 to a merchant family. Son of Josef Klinger and Luise Klinger (née Blan). 

1892–1894. Studies at the Niederen Fachschule für Bau-und Maschinenschlosserei am Technologischen Gewerbemuseum (The Vocational School for Structural-and Machine Engineering at the Museum of Industrial Technology/Technological Trade and Craft Museum).

1895–1896. Works for Wiener Graphische Industrie (Viennese Graphic Industry Corporation), including on the Wiener Mode fashion magazine. Private student of Kolomon Moser.

1896. Moves to Munich.

1897. Illustrator at the Meggendorfer-Blätter, a satirical magazine based in Munich. 

1897–1902. Contributes to Munich’s important weekly magazine Jugend.           

1897. Relocates to Berlin, where he opens a studio specializing in poster and book design. Illustrator at Lustige Blätter and Wiener Mode. Designs his first posters.

1898. Signs contract with the Hollerbaum & Schmidt, a Berlin-based printing company.

1900. Contributes to the Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung (Great Art Exhibition) in Berlin.

1904–1911. Takes part in numerous art exhibitions, including those organized by the Vienna and Berlin Secessions.

1906. Commissioned to create posters for Berlin cigarette manufacturer Palm.

1910. The poster collector Hans Sachs begins publication of the magazine Das Plakat (1910–1921). Klinger joins Sachs’ Verein der Plakat Freunde (The Society for Friends of the Poster).

1910s. Designs window displays for a number of Berlin department stores.

1911–1914. Heads the workshop for poster art at the Reimann School in Berlin.

1912. Designs the Klinger Antiqua typeface. Joins the Deutscher Werkbund. Klinger’s works are published in a volume of the series Monografien Deutscher Reklamekünstler (Monographs of German Advertising Artists).

1913–1915. Artistic director at the Höhere Fachschule für Dekorationskunst (Post-Secondary Technical School for Decorative Arts) in Berlin.

1915–1918. Spends his military service during World War I employed at the Vienna War Archives.

1919. Settles in Vienna, Schellinggasse 6. Begins collaboration with Tabu, Viennese manufacturer of cigarette papers and filters, for whom he designs groundbreaking advertising materials in subsequent years.

1919–1929. Produces commissions for Austrian National Bank, Austrian Gold Reserve, Austrian Public Savings, and City Poster for Vienna Exhibition.

1923. Edits the English-language book Poster Art in Vienna, published in Chicago. 

1926. Contributes to an exhibition of typefaces at the Museum für Angewandte Kunst (The Museum of Applied Arts).

1927. Encyclopedia Britannica features four works by Klinger; Gebrauchsgraphik Jg. 4, No. 5 (1927) devotes a special issue to his work.

1928. December 1928, Klinger travels to Detroit at the invitation of Theodore MacManus, whose advertising agency was working on a contract with General Motors. Klinger remained in the U.S. until April 1929.

Cited in Who’s Who in Art, vol. II (London: Art Trade Press) and included in the book L’Art International d’aujourd’hui, vol. 9 (Paris: Edition d’Art Charles Moreau).

1929. Signs a contract for poster design for London Underground.

1929–1931. Teaches at the Kunstgewerbe-und Handwerkerschule (The Applied Arts and Trade School) in Magdeburg.

1937. Work included in derogatory exhibition Das jüdische Plakat (The Jewish Poster), Gemeinde-Museum Berlin, drawn from the collection of Hans J. Sachs (1881–1974). 

1939. Klinger is forbidden to work due to his Jewish descent.

1942. On June 2, 1942, Klinger is deported from Vienna to Minsk by the Nazis, to Maly Trostenets (Trostinec) concentration camp near Minsk, where he was killed the same year.

Berlin

Vienna

Tabu

Between 1919 and 1921, Klinger created a distinctive brand identity for the Vienna-based manufacturer of cigarette papers and filters, Tabu. He designed broadly for the company, from logo and letterhead design to posters and billboards that covered the walls of the city.