Born 1911 in Basel, Peter Birkhäuser was a Swiss poster artist, portraitist, and visionary painter, noted for his paintings illustrating imagery from dreams in the context of analytical psychology.
Posters designed by Peter Birkhäuser in the 1940s and ’50s
In his early career as an artist, Birkhäuser produced still-life and landscape paintings, ex libris plates, stamps, cartoons for the satirical magazine Nebelspalter, posters, and portraits.
His new works were not well received by the Swiss art community, and it took several years before they would achieve sufficient recognition to provide Birkhäuser and his wife with a satisfactory income. Most of the initial support for his new work came from a younger audience, largely based in the U.S.
In 1971, his wife of 32 years died, and he developed a serious lung complaint. Nevertheless, he produced a number of his most significant paintings in the last five years of his life.
Birkhäuser died in Binningen in 1976, aged 65. Here below is a set of vintage photos that shows posters designed by Peter Birkhäuser in the 1940s and 1950s.
Bülach, 1934
Feba Tinte, 1941
Fiera Svizzera Basilea, April 1941
Eau de Cologne Jean-Marie Farina de Roger Gallet, 1942
Pour tous vos achats, Rheinbrücke, Bâle, circa 1942
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