POSTER TITLE: 1950s Vintage Lithograph of 1910s Pierre Bonnard Poster designed for Opera Ballets Russes in Paris
ARTIST/DESIGNER: Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947)
COUNTRY: Printed in France
MATERIAL: Lithograph
TYPE: Advertising
BRAND/COMPANY: Opera Ballets Russes - Joseph
DATE/PERIOD: Designed in 1914, this vintage lithograph was printed in the 1950s
DIMENSIONS: (23.5 x 31 cm) | (9.25 x 12.25 inches)
CONDITION: (A) Excellent. This lithograph is a later printing from the 1950s.
ARTIST/DESIGNER: Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) was just 24 years old when he made his debut and launch into lithography and poster design with his notable FRENCH-CHAMPAGNE poster. He was a French painter, printmaker, and illustrator, known especially for the stylized decorative qualities of his paintings and bold use of color. Toulouse-Lautrec so admired his work that he sought an introduction, and the two artists struck up a professional bond over the work. Bonnard, at some point, took Lautrec to Ancourt, his printers in Paris. Later, Lautrec would take his famous poster for the Moulin Rouge to be printed at Ancourt.
BRAND/COMPANY: Opera Ballets Russes / The Legend of Joseph.
STORY/DESCRIPTION: Bonnard continued his exploration of cultural life in Paris, forever fascinated by the theatre and street life of a mobile Paris. As the 19th century morphed into the 20th, the tempo and variety increased. The Ballets Russes became an obsession to many Parisians, and this particular figure study is classic Bonnard. The Legend of Joseph, finished in vivid russet, yellow and orange tones, captures the energy and vitality of pre-WWI Paris.