PKZ | 1928

PKZ, 1928, by Herbert Matter

This striking modernist poster features a geometric, stylised composition showcasing men's fashion for PKZ (Paul Kehl Zurich). The image displays a brown overcoat on the left, rendered in a flat, cubist style with distinct lapels and buttons. On the right stands a bellhop or hotel attendant figure in a bright yellow uniform with black buttons running down the front, wearing a cap and holding what appears to be a navy blue garment. The figure has a simplified, mask-like face characteristic of the Art Deco period. At the bottom of the poster, the large "PKZ" logo appears in bold lettering against a geometric background of rectangular colour blocks in muted tones of peach, blue, and grey.

PKZ was a prominent Swiss men's clothing company based in Zurich, established by Paul Kehl. During the late 1920s, Switzerland was developing a reputation for innovative graphic design, and PKZ was at the forefront of commissioning avant-garde advertising from leading artists. This 1928 poster represents an important transition period in European design history, when modernist movements like Cubism and Art Deco were being applied to commercial advertising. The poster's geometric abstraction and simplified forms reflected the growing influence of the Bauhaus and other modernist movements that were transforming visual culture across Europe in the interwar period. PKZ was known for its high-quality men's clothing and its support of progressive design aesthetics.

Herbert Matter (1907-1984) was a Swiss-born photographer and graphic designer who became a pivotal figure in 20th-century visual communication. This PKZ poster was created in the early stages of his career, when he was just 21 years old and freshly influenced by his studies in Paris under painters Fernand Léger and Amédée Ozenfant. The cubist influences in this work reflect his artistic training before he developed his signature photomontage style. After creating a series of acclaimed Swiss travel posters in the early 1930s, Matter emigrated to the United States in 1936, where he worked with prestigious clients including Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and the Museum of Modern Art. His innovative approach to design continued throughout his career as he served as design consultant for companies like Knoll Furniture (1946-1966) and the New Haven Railroad, for which he created the iconic "NH" logo. Matter later became a professor at Yale University (1952-1976), where he helped shape their influential photography and graphic design programme.