?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000
PETER BIRKHÄUSER (1911-1976) PKZ. 1934. 50x35 1/2 inches, 127x90 cm. Wolfsberg, Zurich. Condition B+ / A-: repaired tears at edges, some slightly affecting image; restored punch-holes and pin-holes in margins and corners. Matted and framed. Peter Birkhäuser studied at the Decorative Arts School in Basel and apprenticed in Stoecklin's studio, becoming one of the best "New Objectivity" artists. He achieved instant fame thanks to this 1934 poster for PKZ. For over 50 years, PKZ commissioned all the major Swiss artists, giving them quasi-complete freedom and artistic control. The result was a kaleidoscope of creativity and one of the first examples of "brand advertising." Birkhäuser is selling what made the reputation of PKZ: attention to detail. By depicting a close-up view of a well-sewn button, one of the factors that make a good quality jacket, Birkhäuser cleverly projects PKZ as a brand whose quality is defined by even the smallest detail. Oversized and in a hyper-realistic style, Birkhäuser delivers the message in a spectacular way. Realisme 28, 50 ans d'Affiches Suisses p. 137, Brockmann 133, Weill p. 244.
