General Dynamics/Atome im Dienste des Friedens/Basic Forces
Artist
Erik Nitsche
United States
Printer
Lithos R. Marsens, Lausanne
Date1956
MediumLithograph
Dimensions51 x 36 in. (129.5 x 91.4 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.1085
DescriptionFormed in 1952, General Dynamics was a relatively new player within the defense industry, acting as the parent company for a variety of corporations that manufactured everything from motors to supersonic jets. Its president, John Jay Hopkins, had broad ambitions for the organization; he wanted to create a marketing campaign that not only reinforced its role as a leader in the global marketplace but also emphasized its position at the forefront of scientific developments promoting international peace and prosperity. In 1955, Hopkins poached Swiss designer Erik Nitsche from Gotham Agency, an advertising firm that had worked independently for General Dynamics, making him its in-house art director. Nitsche’s first major project for General Dynamics was a six-poster series for the conference that perfectly merged sleek modernism with abstractions reflecting the complexities of science. This poster highlights how the four basic or fundamental forces that shape the world (electromagnetism, gravity, and strong and weak nuclear interactions) hold sway over matter.
The central circular motif has been interpreted both as an atom and as a representation of the Big Bang, the scientific event from which the universe was born.
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