Lot description
FRITZ KAHN (1888-1968) DER MENSCH ALS INDUSTRIEPALAST. 1926. 38 1/2x19 1/2 inches, 97 3/4x49 1/2 cm. Fricke & Co., Stuttgart. Condition B+: tears at edges; creases in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds. Paper. Dr. Fritz Kahn was an Orthodox Jewish gynecologist in Berlin, who published popular illustrated books like The Cell and The Jews as a Race and Cultural People. In his books and articles, he "visualized the structure and function of the human body in a very unique way." (http://www.fritz-kahn.com). This poster of The Human as Industrial Palace is exemplary of one of his conceptual designs, presenting a playful but instructive comparison between industrialism and anatomy, and elevating the traditional medical diagram into 20th century graphic design. When the Nazis took power, Kahn's books were banned and publicly burned, and Kahn left Germany for Palestine and then the U.S., with the help of his friend Albert Einstein.