Jun 18, 2020 - Sale 2538

Sale 2538 - Lot 50

Unsold
Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
JEAN CARLU (1900-1997) PÉPA BONAFÉ. 1928.
22 1/2x14 3/4 inches, 57 1/4x37 1/2 cm. Marcel Picard, Paris.
Condition A-: offsetting in image; minor restoration along vertical and horizontal folds.
Carlu's strong Cubist influence is on full display in his use of color and design for the silent film actress Pépa Bonafé. Using the stylized Comedy and Tragedy masks and the performer's exaggerated profile he displays several aspects of the performer at once in a concise, Art Deco manner. It is one of Carlu's most charming and enduring posters from this period, as well as the only one to feature a woman. This small version, in which the poster most often appears, was actually a color plate from issue 8 of Arts et Metiers Graphiques. This is the smaller format. Carlu 14, Delhaye p. 18 (var), Reina Sofia p. 83 (var), V&A 508-1972.