Photo und Publizitat/ Photo and Advertising

Berlin: Josef Singer, 1930. First edition. Softcover. vg- to vg+. Quarto. 15, [2]pp., xxxii (images). Striking red, black and white photo-illustrated wrappers. French fold leaves.

The scarce original edition of Jozsef Pesci's influential work on the art of advertising photography and graphic design. The book was one of the earliest works on the subject, and includes magnificently printed b/w photogravure images, bold photomontages and beautiful modernist typography throughout. The bilingual text at the front in German and English discusses the questions of the practical use of photography, photomontage and typography in advertising. The second (truncated) section is comprised of 32 images showing examples of Pesci's work advertising a wide variety of products ranging from light bulbs and home decor to food, cosmetics, tires, typewriters, shoe polish, cameras, perfume and pencils. Both the leading prize in commercial photography in Hungary and the library at the House of Hungarian photography are named after this key figure of the New Objectivity and European avant-garde.

Wrappers with mostly minor rubbing to extremities, as well as some minor rippling/creasing along near the top corner. The top of the front cover with slightly more significant rubbing and an attempted restoration from a previous owner. Back cover with a few minor smudges and stains. Interior clean throughout, with all images bold and vibrant. Front free endpaper slight abraded near the top corner. The very last blank leaf with a small tear to the bottom corner. Wrappers in very good- to very good, interior in very good+. Book block and binding still tight. A very nice copy of a very scarce work. Protected in modern mylar. *József Pécsi (1889-1956) was an influential photographer and graphic artist. He studied photography at the Academy of Munich, and he soon got several prizes as recognition of his work. He ran his own photo studio from 1911. In 1913 he opened the first photography school in Hungary. He made great portraits of the famous personalities of the age, sensational avant-garde nude series, self-portraits, cityscapes, and he is a pioneering artist in Modernist advertising photography. His pictures were published in numerous important western magazines, such as the English Studio. He continuously worked in the field of photography, and he became the most influential Hungarian advertising photographer of the era. He was always able to integrate the newest tendencies in photography into his work, most importantly the principles of the New Objectivity movement or Kassák’s picture architecture. He was a member of the Magyar Könyv- és Reklámművészek Társasága (Hungarian Society of Book and Advertising Artists), and was among the exhibiting artists of their legendary exhibition in 1930, with his students. He was a master of photographic processes and printing techniques. Because of his leftist political views, he was removed from his teaching job, and was only rehabilitated in 1946. During the war, his studio was destroyed, including many of his works, and his art collection. After 1945, he worked mostly as a portrait photographer. (Inventory #: 54882)