Poster. PAUL IRIBE (1883-1935). MADAMOISELLE M

PAUL IRIBE (1883-1935). MADAMOISELLE MADELEINE CARLIER. Circa 1910.
63x35 inches. Editions Paul Iribe, Paris.
Condition B+: minor restoration in margins; minor foxing and offsetting in image; faint vertical and horizontal folds.
Paul Iribe was a true artistic genius and one of the major influences on the very early years of Art Deco before the First World War. His work encompassed designing avant-garde furniture and textiles, a close working association with Paul Poiret and the founding of magazines, to name some of the highlights. As one of the recognized leaders of the French style, he was chosen by Hollywood's Paramount Productions as their art director. He moved to Hollywood in 1921 and began working closely with Cecil B. DeMille on some of the director's major movies. When he returned to France in 1926, Iribe continued to be creative in all of the decorative fields. As a social footnote, when he died in 1935, he was on the verge of marrying Coco Chanel. Madeleine Carlier was a comedian and a model. She was one of the few women who ever successfully seduced Jean Cocteau who fell madly in love with her in the summer of 1908. Cocteau was a close friend of Iribe's and, in his memoirs he mentions visiting the artist with Carlier. This poster was certainly designed during this period as a present for the young performer. It is not reproduced or even mentioned in the very complete biography of Iribe and, to the best of our knowledge, has never surfaced in the market before. It must have been printed in very small numbers. Stylistically it is very close to the drawings that Iribe was making for Paul Poiret at the same time, a pure incarnation of elegance.

All items are offered for sale subject to Swann Galleries' standard terms and conditions of sale, which are published in our catalogues and are posted below.