An electric-pink neon glow surrounds a stylized bust of a smoking African woman in a convergence of modern and traditional aesthetics. The Exposition Coloniale of Paris, held in 1931, attempted to paint France’s colonial empire in a positive light by demonstrating mutually beneficial cultural exchange. The expo attracted between 7 and 9 million visitors from around the world.
A flame-haired Femme Fatale, dressed in black, launches this midnight-blue beast of an auto into the foggy night: a masterpiece! Exceptionally rare, this poster finds Loupot at the absolute apex of his transition period between Switzerland and France, between domestic traditionalism and aggressive Modernist experimentation. According to Loupot’s son, Jean-Marie, until this point Loupot was hired by printers; this was likely his first direct commission from the advertiser (alongside his wildly successful Philippossian Cigarettes, see PAI-LXX, 443). The typeface, with which he’d been experimenting with since at least the previous year (see “Plantol,” PAI-XXI, 270) now achieves a refined state of Deco precision. This poster appears to be the sole remnant of any flirtation the advertiser Charles Philippossian had with the auto industry. However, it’s clear that the brilliance of this piece served as Loupot’s introduction to an entirely new market, as a creator of the new Art Deco aesthetic. In the following years, he’d create superb work for Swiss Grand Prix autos and motorcycles; Austin Tractors; and Voisin Autos, before defining the industrial Art Deco aesthetic at the 1925 Expo, and with classics such as “Stop-Fire.” An important work by this artist. Exceptionally rare.
“Clothes make the man.” Cassandre might have been meditating on this old adage while formulating his approach for this Grand Sport poster. The cap, “the champion’s choice” on offer, is detailed with loving realism, every fold and curve supple and tactile. It sits on the head of a Cubist abstraction: one that faces both straight-on and “cocked-to-the-right,” redolent of Oskar Schlemmer and Picasso (Brown & Reinhold, p. 13). As such, it stands with the best works of Cassandre, which find the most elegant and efficient way of communicating two or more (sometimes subversive) ideas in a single image.
A first look at the cover of A Magazine Curated by Thom Browne, featuring a black-foiled A on linen paper with the signature Thom Browne grosgrain bookmark.
