JEAN CARLU (1900-1997) MONSAVON. 1925. 62 1/4x36 inches. Robert Lang, Paris. Condition A-: repaired tears in margins; restoration and creases in image. In the early 1920s Carlu became friendly with a neighbor, the young cubist painter Jean Souverbie. This relationship pointed his art in a new direction. In his much later years, Carlu recalled how a lecture by Juan Gris marked a turning point in his life. Cubism began to play a major role in the young artist's work and he began exploring brand new paths of graphic design. Carlu was lucky enough to have a major project accepted: Monsavon. This poster is very important, as it is the first in which Carlu put the Cubist influences into practice. He had the freedom to use this new form of artistic expression because his clients Philippe de Rothschild (for whom he designed the 1925 Mouton Rothschild wine label), and Andre Wismer, were young and open to modernist ideas. A radical break from the posters à la maniere de Cappiello, this image presents an orange triangle aimed dynamically at the public, with a bar of soap being thrust forward. Within the triangle, a minimalist black outline delineates a torso and an arm. Surrounding it, in the same minimalist manner, Carlu evokes the decor of a bathroom. This poster was an instant success. It was reprinted many times. This example is from the rare first printing that was supervised by Carlu himself. Carlu 10.
