SWITZERLAND'S LEADING STAMP DESIGNERS

BERNHARD REBER showed his artistic talent already as a schoolboy. Born in 1910 in Biel, he came at the age of 13 to Lucerne, where as a pupil of the Cantonal High School be produced some excellent reproductions of the first Swiss issues. His early interest in stamp designing prevailed throughout his distinguished career. After studies at the Art academies in Lucerne, Leipzig, Prague and later in Paris, he was commissioned by the Swiss Federal Railway to designs many propaganda posters, and we find him soon in the forefront of the young generation of European artists. In 1937 comes the first of a long series of commissions from the P.T.T. - the design for the Automobile P.O. stamp, which - after 15 years - is still current and pleasing. The years before the outbreak of the second world war Reber spent in France, Belgium and Italy where exhibitions of his pictures and drawings attracted great attention and praise.

From 1940 on, after his return home, he created many of the finest Swiss postage stamps. Two of the dignified monumental designs for the National Fête set of 1940, the Geneva Centenary miniature sheet, the Swiss Air stamp far the first America flight, the 5 C. value for the Railway Jubilee set of 1947, with the first Swiss steam engine, and many other beautiful stamps bear witness of Reber’s great art. To produce an attractive, dignified, and yet clean and simple stamp picture within a severely limited apace, and at the same time to comply with the often exacting instructions of the postal authorities, is no mean feat for an artist. And this is just what Reber has always succeeded to accomplish. Many foreign postal authorities enlisted his art, and among his other little masterpieces are Luxembourg's air mail stamps of 1946, issued of the United Nations, San Marino etc. We hope to see yet many more Swiss stamps to come from this distinguished artist.

No.8 "THE SWISS PHILATELIST" Second Quarter 1953 (Page 3)