Oscar Nitzchke, Hugo Herdeg. Maison de la Publicité Project, Paris, France (Exterior perspective). 1936

Oscar Nitzchke with Hugo Herdeg Maison de la Publicité Project, Paris, France (Exterior perspective) 1936

  • Not on view

Ablaze in the Paris night, the Maison de la Publicité broadcasts information along the Champs Elysées. The slender building is a pure media machine. The diagonally braced steel grid of the facade acts as the support structure for graphic material; inside, advertising agencies in rental offices produce logos, signage, and sales pitches, and a vast hall hosts public media events. The building itself is a collage: the graphic cladding produced inside, installed by a rooftop crane, constantly updates the exterior. The photomontage uses a picture of Paris at night to envision the architectures nocturnal transformation. The facade’s dynamic assemblage of signs and cultural expressions represents an early fascination with media and the architecture it might inspire.

Gallery label from Cut 'n' Paste: From Architectural Assemblage to Collage City, July 10–December 1, 2013.
Collaborating artist
Hugo Herdeg
Medium
Gouache, ink, and cut-and-pasted printed paper on photograph mounted on canvas
Dimensions
28 1/4 x 20" (71.8 x 50.8 cm)
Credit
Gift of Lily Auchincloss, Barbara Jakobson, and Walter Randel
Object number
424.1976.1
Department
Architecture and Design

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