Apr 24 at 12:00 PM - Sale 2702 -

Sale 2702 - Lot 71

Estimate: $ 15,000 - $ 20,000

NIKLAUS STOECKLIN (1896-1982)

PKZ. 1934.

50½x36 inches, 128¼x91½ cm. Wolfsberg, Zurich.
Condition A / A-: small tear at top edge; clear tape at top edge; minor creases in image. Paper.

Stoecklin was such a prolific artist, and so versatile in his graphic style, that the only other Swiss artist who came close to matching his output and variety was his virtual alter-ego, Otto Baumberger. Stoecklin was first commissioned by PKZ to design a poster in 1923, but this 1934 image reflects all of the talent of the mature artist. As with all the artists who worked for PKZ, Stoecklin was given full artistic freedom to promote the line, and their famous overcoat. The poster, which is palpably Magritte-esque, surprised the Swiss when it came out. It is a fascinating image, with a prosperous, dapper man, seen from behind, his rolled-up newspaper announcing the headline "PKZ," offering enough mystery to attract the eye and intrigue the public. "The cane and bowler hat are symbols of the elite, but [here] their wearer leaves the stage . . . under his arm, however, a brochure protrudes, randomly and calculatingly, the attribute of the new buyer desired by PKZ. This everyman, this type now generally targeted by business and advertising, no longer defines himself by class affiliation; he is alone, with his massive, confusingly magical presence, he indicates the burgeoning purchasing power of the democratic, anonymous consumer" (Stoecklin p. 21).

Crouse p. 149, Stoecklin p. 29, Margadant 185, Weill 434, Plakat Schweiz 16.
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