OTTO BAUMBERGER (1889-1961)
41
●
PKZ. 1923.
49
1
/
2
x35 inches, 125
3
/
4
x89 cm. Wolfsberg, Zurich.
Condition A-: minor restoration in upper left corner; foxing in margins and upper image. Paper. Matted and framed.
Baumberger was one of the most prolific Swiss poster artists, with well over 200 designs to his credit.
Beginning in 1917, he regularly worked for PKZ, during which time he became close friends with (and
advisor to) Emile Huber, PKZ’s advertising director. This poster is not only the best he produced for
the company but is also an icon in poster history. The tweed coat is rendered in near-photographic
perfection to the point where you can practically feel the fabric. Baumberger took a totally new approach
to advertising by ingeniously incorporating the poster’s text into the image in the form of the label in
the coat. With this poster Baumberger cemented his role as master of the “Object Poster,” (a title he
earned four years earlier with a classic image of a top hat), and began the trend of “New Objectivity”
within the Swiss school of Graphic Design. A sensation from the day it was issued, this image remains
compelling and proves to be one of the finest of the PKZ posters. Avant Garde p. 114, Modern Poster
188, Weill 439, Realisme 19, 1000 Posters 156, Design Graphique 77.
[5,000/7,500]
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