PKZ (the legendary cock)

Founded in 1881 by Paul Kehl in Winterthur as a clothing factory, the company held annual poster competitions among specially invited artists from 1910 until the 1950s, with the prize-winning designs then being displayed all over Switzerland. PKZ had recognized two things early on: That it was worth creating a strong brand (at a time when the term “brand” hardly existed as such), and that carefully designed posters were the ideal means of achieving this goal.

In 1935, the winner was Alois Carigiet (1902 – 1985), a trained decorative painter who remained true to himself in his choice of motif and, above all, his almost always very painterly execution. He was only able to afford this in the 1930s, when illustration had a difficult position in Swiss product advertising, because his approach and style were unmistakable (which is the gold standard for any advertising campaign).

The fact that his strutting cockerel actually came to fruition is a testament to PKZ’s confident self-irony, because even if it may seem likeable and elegant, evoking an atmospheric narrative joy: a cock is a cock. This is certainly one of the reasons why this PKZ sheet is extremely popular and accordingly sought-after by collectors and people who want to give their rooms a distinctive touch. Rare, especially in this excellent condition.

maybe of interest as well – Otto Baumberger’s anticipation of magic realism:

Marque PKZ