ALEX DIGGLEMAN (1902-1987) PKZ BURGER-KEHL. 1935.

50 1/4x35 1/2 inches. Wolfsberg, Zurich.
Condition B+: paper loss in bottom margin; minor tears and creases in margins. Paper.
Diggleman was a very classy poster designer who, along with many other Swiss colleagues, designed elegant and artistic posters for tourism. This PKZ poster actually represents an exception in his career-but a brilliant exception, that has become a classic example of Neue Sachlichkeit (the New Realism). The full-size image, of a slightly-opened box, shows how far a brand like PKZ, after years of great advertising, could still go. In this instance they no longer even bothered to show the products for sale! Although we can see a corner of the black jacket in the tan box, it is the excitement and anticipation evoked by the visible PKZ label that lend this poster its effectiveness and strength. It is truly a modern advertisement in its indirect intimation and suggestiveness. Modern Poster no. 191, p. 179, Plakat Kunst p. 131, Schweiz p. 137, Realismes 29