ADRIEN BARRÈRE (1877-1931) BAL COSTUMÉ / MISTINGUETT. 1912. 63x47 inches, 160x119 1/2 cm. Affiches D'Art Robert & Cie., Paris. Condition B+: restored losses in upper right margin; minor darkening and restorations along vertical and horizontal folds. At the beginning of the 20th century, Barrère was the foremost designer of posters for music halls and performers around Paris. Powerful drawing, broad outlining and inventive layouts are the main characteristics of his distinctive style. At their simplest, his posters were basically enlarged caricatures. His first posters were for café-concerts and his style was so popular that he was called upon to help promote all of the major stars of that era. After the café-concerts were no longer in vogue, Barrère continued using his caricature style to help advertise silent movies, for Pathe Films and the Grand Guignol (a horror theatre in Paris). In addition to being the star and sweetheart of the café-concert scene, Mistinguett also appeared in more than thirty movies before the First World War. This film about a costume ball has Mistinguett dressed as a working man, her prominent teeth, however, making her immediately recognizable. Rare. DFP II 40.
