Set of three original Mercedes-Benz posters

The set of three original racing posters for the German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz from 1938–1939 was created by the Czechoslovak-born painter and illustrator Walter Gotschke. Originally trained as an architect, he devoted himself to drawing and illustration from the very beginning of his career, with his first major commission coming after his victory in the 1931 competition to design the poster for the Masaryk Circuit. From 1938 he worked in Stuttgart, where he began collaborating directly with Mercedes-Benz. The presented trio of posters captures iconic moments of contemporary racing: Rudolf Caracciola’s victory in the 1938 Coppa Acerbo on the demanding track in Pescara, Hermann Lang’s triumph in the 1939 Belgian Grand Prix behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz W 154 supercharged car – a model still regarded as one of the most valuable automobiles in Czech collections – and another Caracciola victory in the 1939 German Grand Prix. The so-called Mercedes-Benz “Silver Arrows,” which Gotschke depicted with his characteristic dynamism, became a symbol of technological supremacy and state support for German motor racing on the eve of the Second World War. This group of three posters thus represents not only a valuable document of the celebrated era of automobile racing, but also a striking example of modern graphic design that brought Walter Gotschke international recognition. The posters come from the collection of Thomas Marten, who owns one of the largest holdings of such graphic artefacts in Europe, accompanied by his expert certificate.

Dimensions:
Deutschland, signed in the print upper right, 63 × 90 cm
Belgien, signed in the print upper right, 64 × 90 cm
Coppa Acerbo, signed in the print upper right, 60 × 84 cm