Interview by Luca Sabbatini, freelance journalist, to coincide with the exhibition of the Château de Nyon poster collection.

JD Clerc and Galerie 1 2 3

"The adventure of Galerie 1 2 3 begins in April 1977, when I discover by chance twenty-one vintage posters under an old wooden floor. They had been placed there in the 1920s simply as insulating material! The posters depicted a Renault Grand Sport car at full speed. The beauty of the image, the quality of the colours and the lithographic printing all fascinated me. To this day, I treasure a copy of this poster in my private collection. I also find my calling: to safeguard a piece of the history of communication that is in danger of being lost.

After a Master's degree in general linguistics and French literature, I set out in search of vintage posters. There's an urgency to it: at the time I'm starting out as a collector and dealer, advertising posters are suffering from not being considered as art, but as simple 'advertising' that doesn't deserve to be saved from the rubbish bin!

In 1983, I open the Galerie 1 2 3 in Geneva. Over the years, I try to meet the main 'pioneers' of the vintage poster, custodians of a knowledge that is in the process of disappearing: dealers and collectors in Paris and New York who encourage me and help me with my research. I also have the opportunity to contribute to a number of specialist books, notably on winter sports posters, while also taking part in numerous exhibitions in Switzerland, the United States, London or Singapore.

Following a meeting with the artist Robert Garvin, Galerie 1 2 3 opens in 1993 its own workshop for the conservation and restoration of vintage posters in the centre of Geneva. Over the years, the workshop has developed a unique expertise in the preservation of works on paper, based on consolidation and restoration techniques that are never invasive, always gentle and reversible.

In 1996, I was one of the founding members of the IVPDA (International Vintage Poster Dealers Association), the umbrella association of dealers in original vintage posters, of which I was one of the vice-presidents for several years, as well as an active expert on the authentication committee.

Today, Galerie 1 2 3 is home to one of the largest collections of original vintage posters in the world. Accumulated over more than forty years, this exceptional visual treasure trove illustrates a wide range of fields, from tourism and advertising to the arts, travel, transport, sport, leisure and entertainment.

The Château de Nyon poster collection

My long association with the Château de Nyon dates back to the summer of 1998, when the museum's curator Vincent Lieber visited my gallery in Eaux-Vives. In August 1998, the Château de Nyon purchased its first three posters from Galerie 1 2 3, all linked to products, companies or institutions that have played a part in Nyon's economic or socio-cultural history: the "Centaure" aperitif, accompanied by "Sans-Tort, finally a healthy aperitif", and the "Tir Cantonal Vaudois" in Nyon in 1906. Numerous other posters followed, along with leaflets and advertising cards.

In 2017, Galerie 1 2 3 made an important discovery that was immediately added to the Château de Nyon collection: a magnificent Belle Epoque poster for Mühlethaler perfumes. In 1899, Théophile Mühlethaler established the company that bears his name in Nyon. It manufactured chemical and pharmaceutical products, as well as raw materials for perfumes, soaps and confectionery. Th. Mühlethaler S.A. underwent significant growth, notably with the acquisition of the Zyma chemicals factory in 1917. In 1934, Théophile Mühlethaler retired and sold his company to Givaudan S.A. in Geneva.

In 2019, spurred on by the historical interest of vintage posters, the Château de Nyon extends the geographical limits of its collection to Aubonne, Bière and the Jura vaudois. Recent acquisitions include posters for the Société vinicole de Perroy, "1er Choix de La Côte"; for the Morges aperitif "Le Stimulant"; for Grapillon grape juice; and for the Hôtel de la Poste in Saint-Cergue.

When I started out as a collector and dealer in 1977, there was very little information available on vintage posters. The few publications devoted to them were mainly professional graphic design magazines. Nowadays, not a week goes by without a new book on posters, linked to a brand, a subject, a place or a collection, seeing the light of day! A case in point is the fine catalogue just published by the Musée du Château de Nyon on its collection of vintage posters.

From the outset, I wanted Galerie 1 2 3 to be more than just a commercial activity: I wanted it to play an active part in the preservation of a graphic heritage that had been neglected for far too long, both through painstaking verification of dates, artists, printers and companies, and through previously unpublished analyses of some of the most important posters. Historical interest and the thrill of discovery have always been my guides. For me, it's a real pleasure to play an active part in building up and preserving this fine piece of Nyon's heritage.

For example, in the photograph reproduced on page 18 of the exhibition catalogue, I recognise the poster for "Romanel, la perle des eaux de table". Alongside it are three event posters that can be dated with certainty to 1924. This means that the "Romanel" poster existed in 1924, and was probably printed that year or just before. The poster also provides interesting information about the printer J. Magnenat in Lausanne, which was bought out shortly afterwards by Marsens printers. The same photograph also shows an unknown version of the chamois from the Diablerets aperitif poster.

This is how, brick by brick, we rebuild the world of vintage posters."

(Interview with Jean-Daniel (JD) Clerc by freelance journalist Luca Sabbatini)

Photo123.ch, pour l’amour du jazz

04 2022, JAZZ, one more time...

Instruments rutilants, éclairages scéniques dramatiques, ambiances nocturnes… La photographie et la musique ont toujours fait bon ménage. Lancé tout récemment par la Galerie 1 2 3 à Genève, le nouveau site photo123.ch en apporte une preuve éclatante. Sur les quelque 4000 clichés en vente, la plupart montrent des musiciens en pleine action, saisis par l’objectif de Dany Gignoux. Du Montreux Jazz au Festival de Willisau, de Cully au mythique New Morning, la photographe genevoise a documenté pendant trois décennies, entre 1970 et l’an 2000, l’extraordinaire foisonnement de la vie musicale helvétique. Ses tirages originaux constituent l’essentiel du catalogue de photo123.ch.

Né à l’occasion du rachat par Jean-Daniel Clerc, fondateur de la Galerie 1 2 3, d’une partie de l’atelier de Dany Gignoux, ce nouveau site traduit la situation exceptionnelle dont la photographe a pu bénéficier à ses débuts: les futurs grands festivals (Montreux, ou dans un autre genre musical, Paléo…) sont alors encore très jeunes et à visage humain, les musiciens (et leurs agents) moins obsédés par le contrôle de leur image. Dany Gignoux a ainsi pu circuler librement de la scène aux coulisses, traquant le cadrage juste, la lumière idéale, le détail frappant, l’expression authentique. On est loin des dix minutes accordées de nos jours aux photographes de scène…

Dany Gignoux prend également le temps de peaufiner ses tirages, travaillant ici le contraste, là le grain de l’image. Ce sont ces épreuves d’artiste, la plupart en exemplaires uniques, que le site photo123.ch met en vente. S’y ajouteront au fil des mois ses reportages ethnographiques ou culturels, en cours de catalogage (6000 photos!). Parmi les 4000 clichés déjà disponibles, certains sont des classiques, comme ce portrait de Dizzy Gillespie mort de rire, assis, trompette à la main, que Nikon utilisera dans une publicité. Ou le regard perdu dans le lointain de Stan Getz au Montreux Jazz, repris sur la pochette de l’album Pure Getz. Les noms qui défilent donnent le vertige et représentent la fine fleur du jazz mondial, mais aussi de la chanson, du funk ou de la pop, souvent photographiés avec un point de vue inédit ou inattendu.

Le site lui-même permet d’accéder à ce trésor photographique de plusieurs façons: en sélectionnant un musicien, bien sûr, mais également par salle de spectacle ou festival. Si la collection Dany Gignoux est au coeur
de photo123.ch, d’autres photographes y sont également représentés, sur des sujets aussi variés que la montagne, le tourisme ou l’espace. A noter qu’une section du site est consacrée aux affiches d’expositions photographiques, tandis que le site de la galerie «mère» (galerie123.com), lui, va enrichir son offre d’affiches de concerts ces prochains mois.

Luca Sabbatini, journaliste indépendant.

Photo123.ch

James Bond at Galerie 1 2 3 on Léman Bleu Tv:

The Swissair posters on Swiss Tv:

The Swissair posters on Leman Bleu Tv: