PAUL COLIN (1892-1986) LE BAL FLEURI. 1927.
61 1/4x45 1/2 inches, 155 1/2x115 1/2 cm.
Condition B+: repaired tears along vertical and horizontal folds and at edges, some affecting image; abrasions, restoration and overpainting in margins and image; minor creases in image.
During the Roaring Twenties, elegant balls on behalf of charities were frequently organized in Paris to entertain the rich and famous, such as the Bal de la Fourrure, Bal des Bijoux, Bal des Petits Lits Blancs, Bal des Valses and numerous others. Paul Colin, who was at the height of his popularity having recently designed the poster for the Bal Negre (held a few months previously in February at the same fashionable venue, the Theatre des Champs Elysees) was commissioned to design posters for quite of few of these events. Uninspired by the flowers for which this ball was named, Colin produces a dynamic, Art Deco image in which elegant couples are dancing. The diagonals formed by their legs and the flash of magenta dresses lend a fluid, eye-catching appeal to the crowded dance floor. Unlike posters for performers, these balls were one-night events, so far fewer posters would have been printed. rare. Colin 117, Crouse, p. 156.