LEONARDO BISTOLFI (1859-1933) PREMIÈRE EXPOSITION INTERNATIONALE DES ARTS DÉCORATIFS MODERNES. 1902. 58 1/8x42 3/4 inches, 147x108 1/2 cm. Condition B+ / B: losses and discoloration in margins; tears in margins, some affecting image; restoration along vertical and horizontal folds; creases in image. Bistolfi was an important Italian sculptor who is credited with having designed only this one poster. It promotes an art show in Turin that has become historically significant. Not only was it the first international exhibition of modern decorative art, but it was the show that launched the Liberty style in Italy. It is also considered by some to signify the beginning of the end of the Art Nouveau era, as it introduced elements of contemporary design that would slowly evolve into the De Stijl, Art Deco and Bauhaus schools. Regardless of the historical interpretation, the show highlighted some of the greatest European designers. Bistolifi's image is a captivating symbolic representation of muses dancing in a field. Clad in the flowing robes of antiquity, the bolt of fabric they carry spells out "Ars," art. This is the larger format. This is the French version. Bolaffi p. 22, Manifesto 38, Maitres 1900 p. 125, Wember 136.
