Eugene Grasset "The Best Life of Napoleon" 1894 "The Wooly Horse" Poster

Description: Eugène Grasset (French, 1841-1917)The Wooly Horse - The Best Life of Napoleon This was Grasset's first large, color illustration for a U.S. publication. In 1894, he was recruited by The Century magazine to help advertise their serialized biography of Napoleon. The result, known as both The Wooly Horse and The Sun of Austerlitz was truly a monumental work. Writing for The Poster magazine in November 1900, Scotson-Clark declared that "this was the best poster Grasset ever did." The Wooly Horse became so famous it was even reproduced in stained glass by Tiffany. It is one of three posters Grasset produced for The Century featuring Napoleon. This is the version before text. lithograph poster, copyright 1894, The Century Co. sheet measures approximately: 19 3/4" W x 28" Hmat measures approximately: 25 1/2" W x 30" H About Eugène Grasset Eugène Samuel Grasset, a Swiss decorative artist who worked in Paris in a variety of creative design fields during the Belle Epoque, is considered a pioneer in Art Nouveau design. Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, Grasset was raised in an artistic environment as the son of a cabinet designer/maker and sculptor. He studied drawing under Francois-Louis David Bocion and in 1861 went to Zurich to study architecture. After completing his education, he visited Egypt, an experience that would later be reflected in a number of his poster designs. He became an admirer of Japanese art which also influenced some of his creative designs. Between 1869 and 1870, Grasset worked as a painter and sculptor in Lausanne, but moved to Paris in 1871 where he designed furniture fabrics and tapestries as well as ceramics and jewelry. His fine art decorative pieces were crafted from ivory, gold, and other precious materials in unique combinations and his creations are considered a cornerstone of Art Nouveau motifs and patterns. In 1877, Grasset turned to graphic design, producing income-generating products such as postcards and eventually postage stamps for both France and Switzerland. However, it was poster art that quickly became his forté. Some of his works became part of the Maîtres de l’Affiche including his lithograph, Jeanne d’Arc Sarah Bernhardt. In 1890, he designed the “Semeuse” logo used by the dictionary publishers, Éditions Larousse. With the growing popularity of French posters in the United States, Grasset was soon contacted by several American companies. In the 1880s, he did his first American commission and more success led to his cover design for the 1892 Christmas issue of Harper’s Magazine. In 1894 Grasset created The Wooly Horse and The Sun of Austerlitz for The Century Magazine to help advertise their serialized story on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Wooly Horse image proved so popular that Louis Comfort Tiffany recreated it in stained glass. Grasset’s work for U.S. institutions helped pave the way for Art Nouveau to dominate American art. At the end of the 19th century, Grasset was hired to teach design at École Guérin and École Estienne in Paris. Among his students were Maurice Pillard Verneuil, Augusto Giacometti, Paul Berthon, and Otto Ernst Schmidt. At the Universal Exhibition of 1900 in Paris, the G. Peignot et Fils type foundry, introduced the “Grasset” typeface, an Italic design Eugène Grasset created in 1898 for use on some of his posters. Eugène Grasset died in 1917 in Sceaux in the Hauts-de-Seine département southwest of Paris.

Price: 1375 USD

Location: Chicago, Illinois

End Time: 2023-12-04T05:41:15.000Z

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