PKZ Tanz-Anzug 125 | 1923

PKZ Tanz-Anzug 125, 1923, by Hugo Laubi

This striking Art Deco poster features an elegant, stylised illustration of a gentleman in formal evening attire. The figure is rendered in a sophisticated black and white palette with subtle brown shading, creating a bold contrast against the cream background. The man is shown from chest up, wearing a formal black dinner jacket (tuxedo) with distinctive white details on the lapels and a crisp white shirt with bow tie. His face is abstractly depicted with minimal features, giving him a distinguished, clean-lined appearance characteristic of the modernist aesthetic of the early 1920s. The man's hand is positioned elegantly at his chest, suggesting refined movement. At the bottom of the poster, the text "PKZ" appears in a flowing script, with "TANZ-ANZUG 125.-" (Dance Suit 125) in a simpler font beneath it, indicating the price of the formal attire in Swiss francs. The artist's signature and date "HL 23" can be seen in the lower right corner.

This poster was created for PKZ (Paul Kehl Zurich), Switzerland's oldest and most prestigious men's clothing company, established by Paul Kehl in 1881. By the 1920s, PKZ had become renowned throughout Europe for high-quality menswear and operated its own factories in Switzerland. The early 1920s marked a significant period in fashion history, as the world emerged from the austerity of World War I into the exuberance of the Jazz Age. The "Tanz-Anzug" (dance suit or tuxedo) advertised in this poster represents the growing popularity of social dancing and nightlife during this period. The price of 125 Swiss francs was considerable for the time, positioning this as a luxury item for the urban sophisticate. In Switzerland, where neutrality during the war had preserved economic stability, there was a market for such refined clothing.

Hugo Laubi (1888-1959) was a prominent Swiss illustrator, painter, and graphic artist whose career flourished during the interwar period. Born in Zurich, Laubi received his formal artistic training in Munich and Paris before working as a graphic artist in London in 1911. His international experience exposed him to a range of artistic influences, from Art Deco to commercial illustration techniques. In 1918, Laubi returned to Zurich to become Art Director at Fretz Brothers printing house, where he designed numerous posters, including many for PKZ. In 1920, his career took him briefly to the United States, where he worked in Philadelphia and New York, further broadening his artistic perspective. Laubi's distinctive style blended modernist simplicity with elegant lines and a keen eye for fashion, making him particularly well-suited for creating advertisements for clothing companies. Beyond his commercial work, Laubi was also a talented landscape painter and collaborated with the Swiss satirical magazine Nebelspalter during the 1920s. Later in his career, he became known for book illustrations, including works for the Pocomoto series and classics like Robinson Crusoe (1951) and Uncle Tom's Cabin (1956).