Dec 19, 2007 - Sale 2133

Sale 2133 - Lot 63

Price Realized: $ 960
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
EUGENE GRASSET (1841-1917) CHOCOLAT MEXICAIN / MASSON. 1892.
47 x 32 inches. Affiches Artistiques. Paris.
Condition B+: restoration and repaired tears in margins, some affecting image; vertical and horizontal folds; restored lower right corner.
Masson was a Parisian chocolate manufacturer who relied heavily on the Art Nouveau style to promote his products. His two favorite artists were Mucha and Grasset. "The Mexican Bandit," as this poster is known, is one of Grasset's most powerful and dynamic posters. The horse (which he excelled in drawing, see Swann Art Nouveau auction 1945 lot 36) and the fierce Mexican bandit are so striking, and exude such intensity, that it seems clear that Grasset enjoyed designing the image, which is complemented by the saturated colors. Grasset p. 105, Chocolate p. 38.