Paul-Martial's World of Ordinary Objects

From 5 July 2014, the Kunstmuseum in Basel will be showing a selection of one hundred photographs originally owned by the Parisian advertising agency Éditions Paul-Martial. The black and white images, whose purpose was to form the basis of posters, advertisements and brochures, depict regular objects of daily life – buildings, cars, typewriters, radiators, mannequins. What was unusual and novel, however, were the composition, lighting and exposure of the pictures.

Today, the collection reflects the multi-faceted evolution of photography from the 1920s onwards. At the same time, the images offer insights into the advertising strategies of a past era, documenting the ways in which goods were once presented in order to attract consumers.

The 100 exhibited photographs were taken from a larger collection that was transfered to the museum by Peter and Ruth Herzog in 2008, some of it in the form of an acquisition and some of it as a gift. The exhibition is the result of a close collaboration between curator Anita Haldemann and photography expert and collector Peter Herzog.

For further information visit Kunstmuseum Basel