Fre Cohen - Bookmark by the Jewish graphic designer Fré Cohen – Women's Day - 1927 - Sold

Bookmark 'Women's Day' Woodcut Fré Cohen - Heerenveen, 1927 Printed on both sides For: 'Women's Day - For Disarmament and International Fraternity' Back: 'Reading guide - Association of Soc. Dem. Women's clubs in the Netherlands'
Approx. 20.5 x 6 cm
In beautiful collector's condition Corners slightly but not annoyingly curved For a good impression see the scans
Will be shipped registered and insured
Frederika Sophia (Fré) Cohen (1903–1943) was a Dutch graphic artist and illustrator of Jewish descent. She had a great influence on the design of the 1930s.
Fré, a daughter of diamond cutter Levie Cohen, showed an interest in drawing as a child and wanted to become an illustrator. After some wanderings, she ended up at the wire and cable factory Draka in 1921, for which she designed advertisements. Later she got a job at the NV Boekhandel en Uitgevers Maatschappij Ontwikkeling - the forerunner of the Arbeiderspers - where she did drawing work in addition to office work. In 1915, the NV Boekhandel en Uitgevers Maatschappij Ontwikkeling was founded by the Social Democratic Workers Party (SDAP). Through her work for this publisher, Fré gained access to the party printing house Vooruitgang. As a designer who also dealt with the typesetting, she was initially viewed with suspicion by her male colleagues. For most of the large number of brochures, magazines and other printed matter published by the AJC, Fré Cohen was responsible for drawing the covers and the layout.
Designs The romantic aspect of her work fitted in well with the language used by AJC leader Koos Vorrink. It was the twenties: the Art Nouveau influences and the affinity with the lines and beams of De Stijl and with the architecture of the Amsterdam School also show that the work, usually more decorative than functional, is strongly time-bound. But, as graphic artist Dick Dooijes, also a former AJC member, writes: Fré Cohen has processed all these influences in a completely unique way into a strictly personal style. That is a great achievement, which could not have risen to this height without her great willpower, awareness of her self-worth and her creativity.
Working illegally From 1927 to 1929, Fré studied at the Institute for Applied Arts Education in Amsterdam, where she obtained her final diploma in Graphics. From 1929 to 1932, she was employed by the Stadsdrukkerij Amsterdam. She remained at this printing house as a freelance employee until 1941, and was given the opportunity to design almost all the printed matter for the municipal services. During the war years she went into hiding in Amsterdam, Diemen, Rotterdam, Winterswijk and Borne. She also went into hiding for two weeks with her friends Jan Hilvers and Margot Vos in Lochem. During that time in hiding she continued to work illegally as best she could. On 9 June 1943 she was betrayed by Jew hunter Frankevoort and arrested at her hiding place in Borne. By taking pills she ended her life. After two days Fré died on 12 June 1943 at the age of 39 in a hospital in Hengelo. She was buried there in the Jewish cemetery.
Source: Wikipedia