Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, May 12, 2026 : Sascha Maurer, a German-born, American graphic artist (#2524)

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Artist of the Day, May 12, 2026 : Sascha Maurer, a German-born, American graphic artist (#2524)

Sascha Maurer (1897-1961) could be described as a bipolar or maybe a tri-polar artist. He is now the famed poster illustrator-graphic designer, whose works are highly collectible and if original, very expensive. Likewise, he was a major contributor to the magazine: Ford Times. The Ford Times, was a free magazine to everyone that purchased a Ford and he handled that account from 1953-58. And his career as a watercolor artist, that created tightly illustrated rural and small town landscapes of New England.

Maurer was German-born, the son of an artist and it is said by some accounts that he descended from Russian royalty. He studied at the School of Applied Arts and the Academy of Fine Arts, both in Munich. Additionally, some report that he studied independently with noted designer Ludwig Hohlwein. Hohlwein created the German “plakatstil” (poster style) wherein he eliminated all the ornamentation and embellishments that had been part of the late 1800's and the early 1900's. Hohlwein was part of the early Modern-Art Nouveau movement that came on strong by the 1920's. Maurer was clearly influenced by this simplified style, making him a powerful poster communicator. His illustrations were eye-catching with a quick message, that was easily understood.

Maurer served in the German Navy during World War I, and after the war, he moved to Brazil, where he learned lithography and was a muralist. In 1925, he migrated to the US to work as a commercial artist. During the 1930's and 1940's he started to create these remarkable ski posters, that were influenced by boyhood in the Bavarian Alps. He knew and understood skiing and his ski illustrations caught the attention of the New Haven Railroad, which developed a whole new clientele for him - the travel/railroad/airline industry.

Maurer’s posters have been featured on the Antiques Roadshow with poster expert Nicholas Lowry from Swann Galleries in New York City. These great ski - travel and railroad/airline posters were frequently hand-pulled silkscreens, that presented large single image illustrations with simplified, limited backgrounds. Many designers still copy his simplified - straight forward style today.

Using his graphic skills and his understanding of publishing, he was a major contributor to the Ford Times. The Ford Times featured articles that highlighted the back-roads in America and vacation spots. During his time at the magazine he featured the who's who of artistic illustration.

Maurer has crossover appeal between his graphic illustrations and his artistic watercolors. His watercolors were used as magazine illustrations for numerous magazines. He frequently illustrated popular motels in summer locations, used for postcards and advertisements, making you wish that you were there. These motel illustrations have the same character as his watercolor art.

It was in the late 1930's he started using his illustration tools, brushes, gouaches, and watercolors to create his artistic version of rural and small town New England. The New York Times lists his first watercolor exhibit as 1939. By the 1940's and 50's, he is having a relationship with Argent Gallery and Grand Central Gallery, both in New York.

Many of his artistic watercolors illustrate rural architecture, frequently with homesteads, barns, and community churches. The buildings have a soft illustration technique with the idea that you might like to visit this place, unlike the hard-line illustrations that would have been produced by architectural firms of that period. The people in his scenes are just a couple of brush strokes designed to provide human scale to the artwork. He kept his people simple, we know their body shape, and what they are wearing, but we don’t know details. In this regard, his people are frequently in the background, close enough to be seen, but no portraiture.

Maurer’s watercolor art has not fared as well as his poster graphics. His watercolors are just like real estate, it depends on location, location, location. For example, a watercolor of Martha’s Vineyard might sell for double/triple that of a generic location. So scenes that are desirable locations and easily identifiable, sell for more.

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