Nov 11, 2011 - Sale 2261

Sale 2261 - Lot 99

Price Realized: $ 15,600
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 15,000 - $ 20,000
A. M. CASSANDRE (ADOLPHE MOURON, 1901-1968) NORMANDIE / VOYAGE INAUGURAL. 1935.
39 1/4x24 1/2 inches, 100x62 cm. Alliance Graphique, Paris.
Condition B+: restoration in corners; repaired tears and restoration in margins.
A pillar in the pantheon of modern poster design, Cassandre's unforgettable image has entered the mainstream of the graphic vernacular. Attention is often drawn to the "lofty symmetry and steep upward angle" (Mouron p. 67) of the composition and to the small flock of gulls which help convey the size of this floating palace. Yet, seen head-on, this liner displays a grace and smoothness of curves that belies its massive size; even the small amount of water being churned up by its mighty keel seems to suggest that the boat is literally gliding through the ocean. Several other variations of this poster exist, all boasting the same monumental image but differing in text; this one announcing the ship's "voyage inaugural," is one of the less frequently seen variations. Mouron 56, Tourism 19, La Mer 137, Schipp & Affiche 30, Brown pl. 53, Weill 345.