Donnet-Zedel c.1925 by Alexey Brodovitch | Vintage French Art Deco Automobile Advertising Poster

Donnet-Zédel – A Striking Art Deco Automobile Advertisement by Alexey Brodovitch

Celebrate the style, power, and adventurous spirit of early European motoring with this extraordinary 1925 Donnet-Zédel automobile poster by influential graphic designer Alexey Brodovitch. Combining a dramatic mountain roadway, sweeping coastal scenery, bold typography, and a brightly colored touring car, the design presents Donnet-Zédel as a modern automobile capable of climbing confidently toward new heights.

The poster’s French slogan reads “La marque qui monte, la voiture qui grimpe”—a clever declaration that can be understood as “the rising marque, the car that climbs.” The double meaning promotes both the company’s growing reputation and the automobile’s ability to conquer steep roads.

A yellow-and-white Donnet-Zédel commands the upper center of the composition. Viewed from a dramatically low angle, the vehicle appears to crest a hill directly above the viewer. Its prominent radiator, circular headlights, large tires, and towering hood emphasize strength, stability, and mechanical confidence.

A passenger raises an arm from the open touring car, introducing a playful sense of triumph. This small gesture transforms the automobile from a static product into part of an exhilarating journey—an adventure defined by altitude, speed, scenery, and freedom.

Brodovitch constructs the landscape from broad geometric planes. A brilliant orange road rises toward the car, while a massive black diagonal slices through the lower half of the poster. These angular shapes create the sensation of a steep mountain ascent and reinforce the slogan’s promise of climbing ability.

To the left, an intense blue sea stretches toward a brightly illuminated coastal town. Mountain ridges appear along the horizon, while agave and cactus plants cling to the slope below the road. These Mediterranean details suggest a fashionable drive along the French Riviera or another sunlit southern European coast.

The scene combines automotive performance with aspirational travel. Donnet-Zédel is not shown navigating an ordinary city street; it is presented at the summit of a spectacular coastal route. The automobile becomes a means of reaching beautiful, elevated, and previously difficult destinations.

The poster’s palette is exceptionally bold. Cobalt blue, lemon yellow, orange-red, black, white, and cool green produce a modern graphic intensity. The simplified landscape and exaggerated perspective reflect the emerging visual language of Art Deco and avant-garde European advertising.

Large script lettering gives the Donnet-Zédel name a refined, recognizable presence across the top. The diagonal orange slogan below follows the direction of the slope, integrating the advertising message into the structure of the landscape.

This museum-grade reproduction is an outstanding choice for collectors of vintage automobile advertising, French automotive history, Alexey Brodovitch artwork, Art Deco posters, classic touring cars, Mediterranean travel imagery, and early modernist design.

Display it in a home office, study, library, garage, automotive showroom, dealership, man cave, home bar, transportation-themed room, hotel, or contemporary living space. Its steep perspective and vibrant color make it an unusually energetic statement piece.

Why Collectors Love This Print

• Created by influential designer Alexey Brodovitch
• Advertises the historic French Donnet-Zédel automobile marque
• Features a dramatic low-angle view of a vintage touring car
• Includes the memorable slogan “La voiture qui grimpe”
• Cleverly connects climbing performance with a rising brand
• Bold coastal road and mountain-driving imagery
• Mediterranean sea, town, agave, and cactus details
• Striking palette of blue, yellow, orange, black, and white
• Strong example of 1920s French Art Deco advertising
• Uses daring diagonals and exaggerated perspective
• Appeals to classic-car and transportation collectors
• Excellent decor for garages, offices, and automotive spaces
• Combines motoring history with vintage travel glamour
• Makes a distinctive gift for automobile enthusiasts
• Available in multiple fine-art, framed, canvas, and metal formats

Available Print & Display Options

• Fine Art Prints
• Framed Fine Art Prints
• Gallery-Wrapped Canvas
• Black Floater Frame Canvas
• White Floater Frame Canvas
• Brown Floater Frame Canvas
• Natural Floater Frame Canvas
• Metal Prints

Choose a fine-art print for traditional framing, a framed print for a completed presentation, canvas for additional texture, or metal to enhance the car’s polished appearance and the design’s saturated Art Deco colors.

Artwork Details

• Title: Donnet-Zédel – La marque qui monte, la voiture qui grimpe
• Artist: Alexey Brodovitch
• Studio Credit: Atelier A.B.
• Date: 1925
• Country: France
• Brand: Donnet-Zédel
• Product: French automobile
• Artwork Type: Vintage automotive advertising poster
• Primary Subject: Yellow-and-white touring car cresting a steep road
• Secondary Imagery: Mediterranean coastline, coastal town, mountains, agave, cactus, and open sea
• Style: Art Deco, European modernism, and avant-garde commercial design
• Dominant Colors: Cobalt blue, yellow, orange, black, white, and green
• Mood: Adventurous, modern, energetic, triumphant, and sophisticated
• Recommended Spaces: Offices, studies, libraries, garages, automotive showrooms, dealerships, man caves, home bars, and living rooms

Disclaimer

This artwork is a Museum Grade Reproduction of a Historical advertising poster.

This listing is for a decorative reproduction and not the original 1925 poster. Minor variations in color, cropping, scale, and reproduced texture may occur according to the selected size, material, and display format.

The automotive performance language appearing in this historical advertisement reflects marketing from its original period and is not a present-day performance or safety claim.

Yesterday’s Posters is an independent seller and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Alexey Brodovitch, Donnet-Zédel, Atelier A.B., any successor automobile manufacturer, associated estate, institution, company, or rights holder.