ABEL TRUCHET (1857-1918) CONCERTS FCIS TOUCHE. 15x22 1/2 inches. B+: restored losses at edges; restored losses and restoration in image. Abel Truchet was a shopkeeper who discovered his artistic talent at the ago of 33. Along with Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen and Adolph Willette he was one of the key members of the early circle of artists in Montmartre. Truchet, like the others, decorated cabarets, worked for magazines and designed posters. He died fighting in the trenches during the First World War. Here he applies the nuance of his soft touch to helping a friend and fellow artist. Francis Touche was a cello player, who not only performed and conducted, but also taught at the prestigious Paris Conservatoire of Music. He opened up his own "concert house" on the boulevard de Strassbourg, and he advertised a full program, offering chamber music in the afternoon and symphonic concerts in the evening. It was a sedate and mature repertoire and was dramatically different from the performances taking place down the street at the Scala café-concert. The poster itself, in dark tones, conveys the grace, sincerity and artistry of the performer, not only in its sensitive physical depiction, but also in the erudite surroundings. Above his signature in the stone Truchet dedicates this image to Touche. Rare.
