Created in 1954 by Daniele Buzzi, this original Swiss poster promotes Lugano’s celebrated Festa della Vendemmia, including its traditional harvest procession and the grape market held in the neighboring municipality of Paradiso. Printed in color lithography, the poster presents the festival as a joyful expression of the customs and wine-growing heritage of Canton Ticino.
Buzzi constructs the composition around a lively procession passing in front of a richly decorated building. Musicians, dancers, families and villagers in traditional costume fill the street, accompanied by a horse-drawn wagon, baskets of grapes, flowers and a small dog. More figures gather at the windows and upon the balcony above, extending the celebration across the entire image.
The simplified figures, flattened architectural forms and carefully arranged areas of color give the poster the character of an animated folk tableau. Pale yellow and ochre façades contrast with the clear blue sky, while touches of red, green and black create movement throughout the crowd. The monumental word “Lugano” anchors the composition and immediately identifies the destination.
Lugano’s grape-harvest festival was first organized in 1932 and developed into one of the city’s most popular public celebrations. Its procession traditionally brought together decorated floats, musical groups, regional costumes and scenes inspired by rural life and the grape harvest. In 1954, the year of this poster, the festival came under the direction of Pro Lugano, reinforcing its importance as both a local tradition and a major tourist attraction.
Daniele Buzzi (1890–1974) was a Swiss artist, engineer, architect and graphic designer born in Locarno. He became one of the defining creators of tourism posters for Ticino, combining modern graphic construction with the region’s landscapes, architecture and popular traditions. With its exuberant colors, documented festival subject and important designer, this original poster is particularly appealing to collectors of Swiss graphic design, wine imagery and mid-century European travel advertising.
Original poster
Tourism - Switzerland
Winzerfest
Good condition, light folds
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