At the end of the 1980s, Werner Jeker (born in 1944), a Lausanne graphic designer, was invited by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) to participate in the competition for the creation of a new series of banknotes. Jeker won first prize. However, after deciding to put the first three winners back into competition regarding the technical development of the 50-franc note, the SNB finally entrusted the creation of the new series to Jörg Zintzmeyer, a graphic designer from Zurich. This study examines the history of this competition and contextualises Werner Jeker’s project in his archives, which are stored in the Iconopôle, the iconographic section of the Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne. Furthermore, this study specifically examines how the graphic designer employs photography to create a highly composite object containing a multitude of information, graphic elements, and printing techniques.
Werner Jeker, portrait de Sophie Taeuber-Arp, 1990, photo passeport datant des années 1920, agrandie et retravaillée par superposition du périmètre et de la structure en grille orthogonale du billet de 50 francs suisses, 46,8 x 32 cm. BCUL, Iconopôle, Fonds Werner Jeker. © Iconopôle, Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire, Lausanne
Sophie Donche Gay, an art historian by training, is the current curator of the Iconopôle, the iconographic section of the Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne created in 2019. From 1996 to 2018, she served as the assistant to the directorate of the Cultural Affairs Department of the Canton of Vaud, where she was in charge of museums, heritage and cultural mediation. Manon Saudan, an art historian and independent specialist in information science, has worked on various projects, including the inventory of the Werner Jeker collection for the Iconopôle, at the Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne.
Keywords: Werner Jeker, Swiss National Bank, Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne, banknotes, graphic design, composite image, photography
Citation: Sophie Donche Gay, Manon Saudan, « Werner Jeker, la photographie et le billet de banque », Transbordeur. Photographie histoire société, no. 7, 2023, pp. 124-135.