Pierre Mendell – one the world’s leading graphic designers – passed away at the age of 79 on December 19, 2008 in Munich. For nearly 30 years, he masterminded the visual identity of Die Neue Sammlung – The International Design Museum Munich. Only a few days prior to his death, Pierre Mendell designed his last poster – for an event that the museum will host in February 2009,.

For over 40 years Pierre Mendell’s posters strikingly accentuated Munich’s cityscape, where his designs covered advertising pillars and billboards; since 1980 these were mainly exhibition posters for the Neue Sammlung, and as from 1993 he also designed for the Bayerische Staatsoper.
“ Quality graphic design stands out for the mindset it exhibits: stringent, reduced in form, always intense, never pretentious. In this way, Pierre Mendell developed a most distinct style. He flexibly dealt with particular tasks and through this, eminently lived up to the challenge of respective themes. Hence, Pierre Mendell’s posters are so simple and convincing and will continue to be of great significance beyond this day.”
(Florian Hufnagl, Die Neue Sammlung – The International Design Museum Munich)

Graphic designer Pierre Mendell (born 1929 in Essen) created an oeuvre that has been honored with many international prizes. In his work he focused on two internationally active cultural institutions: Die Neue Sammlung for which from 1980-2003, year-in, year-out he designed the posters as well as the complete visual identity. He also worked for a similar extent for Bayerische Staatsoper from 1993-2006. The collaboration between Die Neue Sammlung and Pierre Mendell spawned an unusual series of posters for the museums in Munich – a unique project involving state and municipal museums as well as Deutsches Museum. In 2003, this series was presented to the public.

Further information and image material:
Dr. Corinna Rösner Die Neue Sammlung Tel +49 (0)89 / 27 27 25-0 Fax +49 (0)89 / 27 27 25-561 E-mail presse@die-neue-sammlung.de

Born in 1929 in Essen. In 1934, he immigrated to France; in 1947 to the United States. Returned to France in 1953, where he worked for the family company.
As of 1958 he studied graphic design under Armin Hofmann at the Basel School of Design.
In 1961, after a short collaboration with Michael Engelmann, together with Klaus Oberer, Pierre Mendell founded the Mendell & Oberer Studio in Munich.
As of January 1, 2000, the Pierre Mendell Design Studio.
The studio works in all areas of graphic design and visual communications.

His works in public collections
Posters by Pierre Mendell are, among others, part of the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art as well the permanent collection of Die Neue Sammlung – The International Design Museum Munich.

Prizes/Awards
1971, gold medal, Art Directors Club, Germany
1984, silver medal, Art Directors Club, Switzerland
1987, silver medal, Art Directors Club, New York
1988, silver medal, 2nd International Triennal of Posters Toyama, Japan
1989, gold medal and silver medal, Art Directors Club, New York
Best German poster
5ième Grand Prix International de l'Affiche, Paris
Silver medal, 8th Lahti Poster Biennale
1990, silver medal, International poster Biennale in Warschau
1993, Top Ten Award, 9 ième Grand Prix International de l'Affiche, Paris
Design Prize, Industrie Forum Design, Hannover
Design prize of the ‘Landeshauptstadt München’
1994, 2nd prize, Festival International d'Affiches de Chaumont
‘ Deutscher Plakat Grand Prix 94’
1995, several of his posters are included in the Graphic Design Collection, Museum of Modern Art, New York
1996, silver medal, International ‘Plakat Biennale Warschau’
1999, Honorary Royal Designer for Industry of the Royal Society of Arts London
2001, 1st prize, 3rd International Triennial of Stage Posters, Sofia
2002, silver, Plakat Grand Prix, Germany
2003, 1st prize, at the 9th International Biennial of Theater Posters, Rzeszow
Member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale and Honorary Royal Designer for Industry of the Royal Society of Arts in London.

Selected solo shows

In 1987, Die Neue Sammlung hosted a solo show on Pierre Mendell and on the Graphic Design Studio ‘Mendell und Oberer’, he had founded together with Klaus Oberer in 1961.
http://www.die-neue-sammlung.de/z/muenchen/faq/m-o_de.htm

On the occasion of the Opernfestspiele 2006, Die Neue Sammlung dedicated an exhibition to the theme of Pierre Mendell’s opera posters – in Pinakothek der Moderne’s light-filled wintergarden.
http://www.die-neue-sammlung.de/z/muenchen/aus/2006/opera/deindex.htm

Next to the exhibition ‘L’art pour l’art’, which in co-operation with the Goethe Institute toured through international metropolitan cities, decidedly conceptual exhibitions of his work reached a broad and inquisitive audience in Japan and Brazil.
2004 Osaka, DDD Gallery:
http://www.die-neue-sammlung.de/z/muenchen/aus/2004/osaka/deindex.htm

2007 Sao Paulo
http://www.posterpage.ch/div/news07/n071115.htm

In 2008, this exhibition was also very well received in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro. For 2009, one is planned in Salvador do Bahia:: http://www.pierremendell.com.br

Selected book publications
Graphic Design: Mendell & Oberer. Die Neue Sammlung. Munich, 1987
L'art pour l'art. (Exhibition Catalog) Münchner Stadtmuseum. Munich, 1994
L'art pour l'art. Works for cultural institutions. Posters and designs by Pierre Mendell and the Mendell & Oberer office. Baden (CH), 1996
English Edition: Pierre Mendell – At first sight. Everyday Graphic Design. Baden (CH) 2001

http://www.posterpage.ch/reviews/re67mend/re67mend.htm
Pierre Mendell. Tokyo 2004 (ggg books – World Graphic Design 66)

Book presentation and lecture by Franco Clivio: February 19, 2009, 6:30 p.m. in Pinakothek der Moderne

Pierre Mendell’s latest publication will appear at the beginning of 2009.
The book arose in close collaboration with Swiss designer and collector Franco Clivio, Hamburg-based photographer Hans Hansen, and Pierre Mendell: “Verborgene Gestaltung – Hidden Forms”, (ed. Zürcher Hochschule der Künste).
The cover of the German and English edition, as well as the poster and invitation design for the event of the Neue Sammlung comprise a coherent balanced visual image.

Further information and image material:
Dr. Corinna Rösner Die Neue Sammlung Tel +49 (0)89 / 27 27 25-0 Fax +49 (0)89 / 27 27 25-561 E-mail presse@die-neue-sammlung.de

Foreword excerpted from: Pierre Mendell. Tokyo 2004 (ggg books)

The designer as balancing act

“I love design”. A black beam: on it a yellow circle rolls – or maybe a ball. An artiste, the red heart, holds his balance. And above, the blue square floats, weightless like an idea. The designer as balancing act?
A poster for Die Neue Sammlung, the design museum in Munich for which, since 1980, Pierre Mendell was responsible for the image design. The basic colors yellow, red, blue; the basic forms being a circle, a square and, no – not a triangle, but…the heart. Is that simple?

The most difficult is, to be simple. Or better said: to become simple. Simplicity means leaving out, compacting, and distillation, concentrating on the essential. Pierre Mendell is convinced that within the flow of pictures in our world today, a simple and direct phrasing conveys a message best. At first sight – the name he chose for the book on his work.
The persuasive power of his posters definitely has something to do with the composition: large surfaces, clear outlines, little color, a minimal amount of text, concentrated typography. Yet, there is more to it than this. Namely wit, playing with the surface, with the surface. Posters not only appeal to the eye, but also to the intellect. And then there is the passion and poetry in many of these works. So they – not least – also reach out to the viewer’s heart.

Generous yet exact. Clear but not loud. Poetic, though unsentimental. Perceptive yet heart-felt. Passionate however with understanding. Treading the high wire, Pierre Mendell holds his balance by strength and resilient ease.

Florian Hufnagl
director general
Die Neue Sammlung –The International Design Museum Munich