?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 3,000 - $ 4,000
H. GRAY (HENRI BOULANGER 1858-1924) PHEBUS. 543/4x38 inches. Papiers-Monnaie, Paris. Condition B+: minor tears and creases along vertical and horizontal folds; creases in image. Framed. Gray was a prolific poster designer working regularly in all fields of advertising. Overall his posters reflect a very classic, realistic style, but there are a few extravagant exceptions. In at least three of his most famous posters, Petrole Stella in 1897, Cycles Sirius, 1899, and this undated poster, Gray's style appealingly strays into a form of sexy cosmic imagery that seemed to be somewhat in fashion for posters during that era (see Pal's Fernand Clement and Rayon d'Or, as well as the spectacular poster for Cycles Gladiator signed by "L.W.") This image depicts a scantily clad, falling angel, against a dark blue background, reaching out for the wheel of a Phoebus bicycle as if to stop her fall from grace. The minimalist text consists only of the company name at the top of the poster, tenuously connected with the word "Paris," at the bottom, via emanating rays. A bizarre, yet striking image of fin-de-siecle decadence. Maitres 1900 p. 216.
