Willy Petzold

Biography

Posters, publicity, glass painter. Born 6 September 1885 in Mainz. 1931: designed posters for the annual German Exhibition, Dresden, and for the International Hygiene Exhibition in Dresden. Designed posters for the shipping company Norddeutsche Lloyd. 1933-45: designed posters for celebrations, demonstrations and propaganda for the NSDAP. After 1945: posters for the rebuilding of Dresden; propaganda for the CDUD and LDPD political parties in the Soviet Zone. ‘Next to Georg Baus of Leipzig, Petzold is the most prominent Saxon poster artist.’ (Frenzel, 1933). Died 16 March 1978 in Dresden.

Writings about

  • work shown in ‘Dresden’ issue of Gg, 1925, v. 3
  • Die Reklame, Feb. 1925, p. 138 (ad)
  • Die Reklame, April 1925, p. 352 (ad for journal)
  • DdW, 1927
  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘German posters of 1927’, Gg, v. 2, 1928, pp. 31-59
  • Hugo Winkler, ‘Willi Petzold’, Gg, 1928, v. 12, pp. 19-25
  • H. Hauschild, ‘Über politische Propaganda’, Buch- und Werbekunst, 1932, H3, pp. 68-83 and inset (tr. John Power)
  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘Willi Petzold’, Gg, Aug. 1933, pp. 2-9
  • Walter Hofmann, ‘Aktuelle Buch- und Werbegraphik’, AfB, 1934, p. 308 (theatre poster)
  • AfB, 1934, p. 425 (Reichsfestspiele poster)
  • Martin Claus, ‘Der Bund Deutscher Gebrauchsgraphiker als Träger des Qualitätsgedankens’, AfB, 1935, pp. 165-92, esp. pp. 182, 183
  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘Advertising means of the North German Lloyd’, Gg, May 1935, pp. 2-15
  • Walter Hofmann, ‘Die Entwicklung der Deutschen Werbegraphik’, AfB, 1939, pp. 597-662, see ills. 48, 49
  • Vollmer, 1962
  • DPM, 1965, p. 32 and illust.
  • www.hamburg.de/Behoerden/Kulturbehoerde/epoc/deutsch

Exhibitions

  • Dresden Albertinum, 1956.