Exhibition
Welcome to a journey through Swiss poster and cultural history
Emil Albert Huber, 1925
The fascination of Swiss poster art
Posters are meant to touch, move, and persuade us. Switzerland was long admired for the high artistic and technical quality of its poster advertising. This exhibition shows why.
Visitors will discover a variety of styles and visual worlds, well-known and lesser-known travel destinations, as well as famous and forgotten brands. At the same time, they will take a little journey through cultural history.
A rich cultural heritage
In the first half of the 20th century, Switzerland became famous for the exceptional artistic and technical quality of its advertising posters.
Businesses and travel destinations commissioned renowned painters and graphic artists to create their advertising messages. They designed imaginative, innovative and masterfully printed posters which, even then, were seen as works of art and transformed cities and towns into a ‘gallery of the street’. To this day, Swiss graphic design enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide.
This exhibition by ViPArt features about 100 original posters from the fields of tourism, consumer goods and culture. Most of the posters are from the private collection of Beatrice Müller, with a few items on loan from private collectors.
Emil Cardinaux, 1908
Cuno Amiet, 1921
Alexandre Benois Di Stetto, 1937
Niklaus Stoecklin, 1941
From travel to object posters
Exhibition structure
Tourism played a vital role in the early development of Swiss poster art. The largest part of the exhibition is devoted to designs for travel destinations and transport companies from the 1900s to the 1950s. These fascinating posters still convey the thrill and glamour associated with travel during those decades.
A second focus of the exhibition is on posters for consumer goods in the broadest sense, from fashion stores to cigarette brands to the Swiss Brewers’ Association. Prominent among this group are the striking ‘object posters’ from the 1940s and 1950s.
The third part of the exhibition presents a smaller, but no less exquisite, selection of cultural posters from more recent decades. These are designs by renowned contemporary poster artists who, in diverse and innovative ways, have carried on and further shaped the Swiss graphic design tradition.
Short Films
The short film series «Auf Stein gedruckt» accompanies the exhibition and offers a vivid glimpse into the history and development of Swiss poster art. At the same time, it uses social media to draw the attention of a new audience to this largely forgotten cultural heritage.
In addition, a short documentary film in the exhibition offers insights into the fascinating craft of poster restoration. The restored original poster is on display next to it.
Other exhibitions
Graphics
Designing the everyday
17.7.2026–4.4.2027
Swiss National Museum Zurich
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