PAUL COLIN (1892-1986) TABARIN. 1928. 23 1/2x15 3/4 inches. Condition A. The Bal Tabarin was a popular night club in Montmartre, opened in 1904 by Auguste Bosc, a composer of some renown in Paris during the "gay nineties." The club made its reputation with the belle epoque favorite, the cancan, continuing to perform it even long after the First World War, when the craze had all but died elsewhere. In the mid twenties two retired dancers infused the club with new life by introducing the Charleston. The passage of time and the changing trends are all illustrated in a spectacular manner here, with three different women dancing three separate dances all melded into one image. Yet each figure demonstrates the same undeniable sex appeal meant to tantalize potential club-goers. This is one of the most sophisticated compositions Colin designed, infused with incredible movements (the legs and arms stretching in all directions), and containing different layers, combining three images into one. Using only three colors, Colin pays a flamboyant tribute to the art of dancing and has created a classic image reflecting the energy of Paris during the Jazz Age. This is the smaller format. Colin 172, p. 122, Paul Colin et les Spectacles 131, p. 110, Weill 263, p. 209, Reina Sofia p. 35, Art Deco, p.101.
