Lot 85: OSKAR LACHS (DATES UNKNOWN). LEVANT FAIR / 30. IV. 1936. 26x18 inches, 68x46 cm. Auction House: Swann Auction GalleriesAuction Location: New York, NY, USA + Show Location DetailsAuction Title: MODERNIST POSTERSAuction Date: May 21, 2009Description: OSKAR LACHS (DATES UNKNOWN) LEVANT FAIR / 30. IV. 1936. 26 3/4x18 1/2 inches, 68x46 1/2 cm. Condition B+: creases and abrasions in margins and image; vertical and horizontal folds. Historically, the "Levant" (from the French "where the sun rises") was the name of the eastern part of the Mediterranean under the Ottoman Empire, an extremely active trading region. To boost the economy, and to establish Tel Aviv as an international city of commerce and Zionist enterprise in Palestine, the Levant Fair was organized in 1928. Oscar Lachs, an active commercial artist who came to Palestine from Frankfurt to escape the Nazis, designed posters to promote the event. This is one of the best. A flying camel, symbol of the trade fair, is positioned atop of a tall slim tower with its deflecting shadow looming across the image. Stylishly modern, with simplicity reflected in the bold sans-serif type and curvilinear lines, this poster would have helped position the fair and Tel Aviv as an international center of modern thought, exchange and mediation. Oscar Lachs is best known for his WWII recruiting posters calling the Jews in Palestine to action against the Nazis.