Mercedes. ca. 1914. Ludwig Hohlwein.
31 1/4 x 38 3/8 in./79.3 x 97.5 cm
This is the only known copy of Hohlwein's triumphant introduction to the 1914 Mercedes 28/95. This artwork does not appear in any book of Germany's most famous posterist; we do not know of another copy in any collection the world over. For Mercedes' most exclusive, most powerful auto model of 1914, Hohlwein took the cabriolet's top down, allowing our eyes to rise from the form of the car to the craggy, sublime Alps to which the driver is pointing: "Up there! We shall take it up there!" It's a clever allusion to the 28/95's innovative engine, with its overhead camshaft and valves arranged in a V-position – a design copied from the Daimler DF-80 aircraft engine. While Hohlwein created two other Mercedes ads in 1914 (for different model autos), the outbreak of the Great War sharply curtailed production of the 28/95 and, we suspect, suspended distribution of Hohlwein's poster. Quite possibly unique.
Available at Auction March 12.
