HENRI I. BIAIS (DATES UNKNOWN) VERS L'ANGLETERRE / CHEMIN DE FER DU NORD. Circa 1935. 38 7/8x24 inches, 99x61 cm. L. Danel, Lille. Condition B+: repaired tears, creases and abrasions in margins and image; restored losses and restoration at edges. The only thing known about Henri Biais is that he was a member of the Syndicat des Dessinateurs Publicitaires, founded by Paul Colin in 1933. His legacy is a handful of intriguing Art Deco posters designed in the mid-1930s. This poster, with the typography organized outside the frame, the diagonal of text within the image and the masterful use of airbrush, exhibits many of the design elements usually associated with A. M. Cassandre. The result is a powerful, classic Art Deco poster in which plumes of smoke from a train and a boat merge to outline the coasts of England and France, upon which is shown the shortest route across the English Channel.
