Poster Collection 34

An introduction to the avant-garde jazz posters of a leading Swiss graphic designer

One of Europe’s leading poster designers, Niklaus Troxler (born 1947) has devoted himself primarily to jazz posters. In 1966, the Swiss designer organized the first jazz concert in his hometown of Willisau, Lucerne. In 1975 he founded an annual jazz festival that has since brought both established and younger artists to the stage. Troxler designed countless posters for these festivals, as well as for the individual concerts. His early designs embraced an illustrative style from which he soon emancipated himself, eventually translating the character of experimental music and taking up its improvisational gestures.
On the occasion of Troxler’s 75th birthday, this publication presents a selection of his jazz posters, juxtaposing them with sociopolitical manifestos in poster form, mostly commissioned by himself, as well as public commissions, including those for the Olma agricultural fair, the Knie circus and the Geneva International Motor Show.