Dutch Railway Poster by Ren Dirksen, Netherlands, 1950s

An authentic poster designed by Reyn Dirksen for the Dutch Railways in the Netherlands around 1950. “Bij de Spoorwegen is Werk aan de Winkel” (at the railways there is work to do) with the subtitle “inlichtingen bij de stationchef” (more information with the station master). The bright orange and red background really draws the attention to this artwork. It has a most appealing style with big lettering, bright colours and strongly contrasting drawings. This fit it’s purpose as a poster really well, and now makes it a fantasticly appealing addition to the interior! It remains in very good, vintage condition with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patina. Reyn Dirksen (1924–1999) studied at the Institute of Applied Arts Education, which is now the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. He has created dozens of posters for a wide range of products. Many large companies as well as the municipality of Amsterdam made use of his design talent. For Amsterdam, he made a lot of posters for events, of which the most famous ones include HISWA, Fashion week, KLM and Schiphol, Heineken, Bols, Verkade, Rizla, Holland-America and Dutch Railways, Red Cross, etc. His most sought-after fairground posters, such as the LUNAPARK, also date from that time and have become a real collector’s item. This includes the famous “All Colours tot he Mast” poster that was designed for the “Intra-European Cooperation for a Better Standard of Living Poster” by the George C. Marshall foundation. It was picked as the winner out of more then 10.000 designs from all over the world! The poster was seen as a visual metaphor of the poverty in Europe during and after the Second World War and the value of uniting the European countries, like a ship in raging water.