Scaled-down poster Emil Pirchan Stage Designs, Munich, 1912

The Moderne Galerie at the Arco-Palais, run by Heinrich Thannhauser (1859–1934), was one of the most renowned art dealerships for modern art in Munich. By 1912, the likes of Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), Georges Braque (1882–1963), as well as artists of the Viennese avant-garde and the Neue Künstlervereinigung München had already exhibited their works at the gallery. Emil Pirchan (1884–1957), who was keen to propagate his progressive design ideas for the theater amongst a broad public, faced no restrictions with the design of this poster for his own exhibition. Unbroken colors juxtaposed to create strong contrasts, pictorial elements reduced to mere signs and a renunciation of foreshortening were the principles that made Modernism a sensation also – and especially – in Munich. While Pirchan’s propagandistic campaign to further his own work met with approval from the press, it initially failed to attract commissions for stage sets. Another six years were to elapse before Pirchan was appointed by Viktor Schwanneke (1880–1931) to the National Theater Munich as head of set design.

IR, 2021