Kees Van Der Laan 1903–1983 Nationale Luchtvaart School vintage poster
Caption Brief: “One of Europe’s oldest aviation academies, the Nationale Luchtvaartschool was formed in 1927 by the Rotterdam Aero Club as a means of encouraging the average daredevil to learn how to fly. Here, the school’s three Dutch branches—in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Enschede—advertise a reduced introductory fee below the thrilling image of a high-wing monoplane flying toward the viewer’s face, so close that it might buzz off the top of the text with its propeller. The soft gray-white spray of wispy clouds around the plane instantly creates an atmosphere of excitement and drama: there is no definition to either the horizon or the ground, no bearings or landmarks... The mundane and difficult aspects of practice, preparation, and study are obviously not touched upon—just the glory of potentially being the next Roland Garros, the famous French aviator from World War I” (The Art Deco Poster, Crouse, p. 31).
1932
35⅛ h × 23⅜ w in (89 × 59 cm)
Kühn & Zoon, Rotterdam
Provenance: Collection of William Crouse
Condition: Cond A-: with foxing, repaired tears, and touch-ups.
Literature: The Art Deco Poster, Crouse, p. 30; Dutch Moderne, p. 112
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
Caption Brief: “One of Europe’s oldest aviation academies, the Nationale Luchtvaartschool was formed in 1927 by the Rotterdam Aero Club as a means of encouraging the average daredevil to learn how to fly. Here, the school’s three Dutch branches—in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Enschede—advertise a reduced introductory fee below the thrilling image of a high-wing monoplane flying toward the viewer’s face, so close that it might buzz off the top of the text with its propeller. The soft gray-white spray of wispy clouds around the plane instantly creates an atmosphere of excitement and drama: there is no definition to either the horizon or the ground, no bearings or landmarks... The mundane and difficult aspects of practice, preparation, and study are obviously not touched upon—just the glory of potentially being the next Roland Garros, the famous French aviator from World War I” (The Art Deco Poster, Crouse, p. 31).
1932
35⅛ h × 23⅜ w in (89 × 59 cm)
Kühn & Zoon, Rotterdam
Provenance: Collection of William Crouse
Condition: Cond A-: with foxing, repaired tears, and touch-ups.
Literature: The Art Deco Poster, Crouse, p. 30; Dutch Moderne, p. 112