Alois Carigiet

The graphic designer, painter and illustrator Alois Carigiet was born in Trun (Grisons) in 1902 and came to Chur with his family in 1911. After finishing an apprenticeship as a stage painter in Chur, he went to work for a renowned graphic design studio in Zurich from 1923 to 1927. In 1927 he opened his own studio in Zurich, where he spent the next 12 years doing graphic design commissions for tourism, consumer goods, political campaigns and cultural events. Most of his posters were created during this time. Carigiet’s posters are usually very colourful, joyful, humorous and expressive, and many already feature his unmistakable illustrative style. In 1933, Carigiet was also a co-founder of the legendary Cabaret Cornichon in Zurich, whose logo, brochures, stage sets and costumes he designed.

In 1939, Alois Carigiet returned to the Grisons and largely turned his back on graphic design commissions in order to focus on his work as a freelance painter and illustrator. Among other things, he created illustrations for children’s books, of which “Schellen-Ursli” became the most famous. His paintings were shown in exhibitions in Chur, Schaffhausen, Solothurn and Geneva. In 1950, he moved back to Zurich to work on a mural called “Allegro con spirito” which cemented his reputation as a painter and ensured further mural commissions. In 1960, Alois Carigiet returned to his native village of Trun for good, where he devoted himself to illustrating and writing children’s books. He died there in 1985.

Posters by Alois Carigiet