May 18, 2023 - Sale 2637

Sale 2637 - Lot 108

Price Realized: $ 15,000
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 12,000 - $ 18,000

ADOLPHE MOURON CASSANDRE (1901-1968)

NORMANDIE. 1935.


39x23 3/4 inches, 99x60 1/4 cm. Alliance Graphique, Paris.
Condition A- / A: small tears at edges; minor creases in margins and image; small pin holes in corners. Paper. Matted and framed.

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 to convey the size of this floating palace. Yet, seen head-on, this liner displays a grace and smoothness of curves that belie 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 their text; one announces the ship's maiden voyage, and another announces "service régulier." Mouron 56, Tourism 19, La Mer 137, Schipp & Affiche 30, Brown pl. 53, Weill 345. MoMA 288.1935.