Talking Bodies – Body Images in the Poster

Stereotypical bodies dominate advertising and assert themselves as an expression of a successful life. To what extent do they shape our perception of ourselves and the world?

Young, white, straight, healthy and attractive ... Since the beginning of the modern picture poster around 1900, the human body has been a popular subject. Its representation usually follows the rules of the market: stereotypical bodies dominate advertising and assert themselves as an expression of a successful life. To what extent do they shape our perception of ourselves and the world? And are there effective counter-strategies? In the context of current debates on gender and race as well as on body optimization and media self-dramatization, the exhibition questions body images in our visual culture. Posters from the museum's collection are juxtaposed with artistic positions and everyday objects, opening up a multi-layered examination of the body in its cultural, social, and political dimensions.

The exhibition invites a critical examination of the representation of the body in history and the present. In this context, sensitive and discriminating images and objects that determined and still determine our everyday culture are also shown.


Exhibitions and events

Collection Highlights

Permanent exhibition

When Max Bill’s Ulm Stool meets Albrecht Dürer’s Apocalypse (1498) and Adrian Frutiger’s Univers font encounters a Balenciaga cocktail dress, when Sophie Taeuber-Arp’s puppets dance around a SBB...

Poster Stories

Permanent exhibition

Large-scale design history: from its beginnings over 100 years ago to the present day, the pictorial poster has achieved impressive stylistic diversity. Icons line up alongside rediscoveries, from...

Swiss Design Lounge

Permanent exhibition

How about biding your time while discovering and trying out outstanding Swiss design at the same time? The Swiss Design Lounge at our newly refurbished main building on Ausstellungsstrasse now...

Ciné-Passion – International Movie Posters

Temporary exhibition at Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Ausstellungsstrasse until 26.10.2025

Ciné-Passion tells the story of cinema from 1920 to the present in 75 highlights of the movie poster genre. The reprints presented are all subjective, artistic interpretations of what the films they...

Jakob Kudsk Steensen: Berl-Berl - A Live-Simulation

Temporary exhibition at Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Ausstellungsstrasse until 09.02.2025

Jakob Kudsk Steensen’s Berl-Berl transforms the Ausstellungsstrasse auditorium into an immersive installation.  A large screen wall and precisely synchronized sound system create a virtual swamp...

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