Created circa 1934 by Dutch graphic designer Wim van Andringa de Kempenaer, this original advertising poster promotes De Vries Robbé & Co., a major structural-steel company based in Gorinchem, the Netherlands. The Dutch inscription Staalconstructies simply means “steel constructions,” identifying the company’s principal field of activity.
The image captures a decisive moment in traditional steel assembly: a glowing rivet is held above an opening in a massive steel plate, ready to be inserted and hammered into position. Kempenaer enlarges this functional industrial detail until it becomes an almost abstract arrangement of cylinders, circles and intersecting diagonals.
The brilliant orange-red rivet appears to radiate heat against the deep black background, while the surrounding tools and steel plate are rendered in subtle shades of grey. Bold white lettering anchors the lower portion of the design. This limited palette, dramatic perspective and geometric construction place the poster firmly within the visual language of Dutch Art Deco and interwar industrial modernism.
De Vries Robbé & Co. was founded in Gorinchem in 1881 and developed into one of the Netherlands’ important structural-engineering companies. Its workshops produced steel frameworks and other components for bridges, factories and large architectural projects. The poster communicates the firm’s technical expertise through a single carefully chosen detail rather than a conventional view of a completed building.
Wim van Andringa de Kempenaer (1910–2000) was a Dutch graphic designer and advertising professional. Here, he transforms a highly specialized manufacturing process into an exceptionally concise and powerful image. With its strong industrial subject, geometric composition and striking colour contrast, this original poster will appeal to collectors of Dutch design, Art Deco advertising, engineering history and early twentieth-century industrial graphics.
Original Poster
Art Deco - Industry - Advertising
Sta Alconstructs Gorinchem
Very good state
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