Warja Lavater’s “Folded Stories”
Date
Credits
- Warja Honegger-Lavater Illustrator
Format
- Publication 161
- Illustration 322
Type of Work
- Finished work 5532
Media
- paper 1566
Techniques
- illustration 179
Locations Made
Warja Lavater (1913–2007) was a Swiss illustrator who is known for her work with accordion-fold books that retell classic fairy tales in unconventional ways. Dubbed by their innovator as “folded stories,” these experimental publications adapt classic tales such as “Little Red Riding Hood” or the Swiss legend “Wilhelm Tell” in a pictorial manner through a system of colors and symbols in lieu of the written word. This method of renarrating familiar stories distills them into an abstract visual language that is methodical but simple, familiar yet novel, and successfully assumes the function of words while taking the form of illustration.
With an education in graphic design, Lavater’s first profession was as a designer of packaging, symbols, and logos, including the three-keyed logo of the Swiss Bank Corporation, now known as UBS, which is still in use today.
Source:
https://www.artforum.com/events/warja-lavater-248567/





