Ib Antoni (1929-1973) was an internationally esteemed poster artist and known as ‘The Great Dane’ and “The National Illustrator of Denmark”. He designed hundreds of iconic posters, and played a key role in creating the national brand of Denmark and ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’.
Through his drawings, Antoni “has left a significant modernist mid-century legacy, which harks back to the other Danish highlights of modernism, like the furniture of Verner Panton, Arne Jacobsen and Hans Wegner, and the architecture of Jørn Utzon. Antoni has a place among the greatest of his colleagues, like Celestino Piatti and Charlie Harper.” (Stefan Sagmeister, designer).
Antoni Legacy was made to honour the cultural heritage that Ib Antoni left behind. While reintroducing Antoni’s charming motives they also wish to tell the exciting story about the man behind the illustrations. Ib Antoni was a prolific artist, and during the 44 years he lived he worked with over 200 companies and organizations, such as Unicef, LIFE Magazine, Volvo, Carlsberg, making well beyond 1.000 different motifs. Antoni Legacy now opens the doors to the entire Antoni archive, not just the finished works, but also the beautiful sketches.
“There is a certain playfulness in Ib Antoni’s work that always caught my eye, and still does today,”. “Of course, his wonderful sense of composition and colour is extraordinary, and the simplicity is so refreshing. But for me, it’s the humour and warmth that he brought to his characters, and the sheer delight they take in the world around them that makes such an enduring impression on me. They are clearly glimpses of the past and together form a fascinating collection of snapshots into a bygone age, but the humanity and warmth within them will, I’m sure, always bring a smile to many future generations” (Steve Small, Animation director, Studio Aka).
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