ADOLPHE MOURON CASSANDRE (1901-1968) VINAY. 1930. 61 1/2x46 inches, 156 1/4x116 3/4 cm. "Les Belles Affiches," St. Lazare. Condition B+: extensive repaired tear from bottom edge into central image; repaired tears, replaced losses, creases and restoration in margins, some affecting image. Hand-signed twice, in crayon and graphite. Cassandre was a man of the Machine Age, and during the 1930s, he composed his posters like an architect. His depictions of modes of transportation are masterpieces - visual odes to angles, forms and shapes. For this brand of chocolate, Cassandre plays with negative space and overlapping shapes, in a complicated composition and an unusual, geometric representation of a chocolate bar. Raymond Savignac, who was Cassandre's assistant, rendered his own cow poster for Monsavon soap (See Lot 96), abandoning his mentor's geometry for humor and a whimsical touch. It is also curious to note that this poster was printed by "Les Belles Affiches," who were not Cassandre's regular printers. Mouron 131, Suntory p. 176, Chocolate p. 63, not in Cassandre / Weill.
