May 10, 2016 - Sale 2414

Sale 2414 - Lot 52

Price Realized: $ 3,750
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000
PAUL MARTIAL (DATES UNKNOWN) [O.T.U.A.] Silver print photomontage. Circa 1930.
31 1/2x44 3/4 inches, 80x113 3/4 cm. [Éditions Paul Martial, Paris.]
Condition B+: minor tears and creases at edges. Printed on photographic paper.
Through his work as Art Director for the printer Paul Martial, Francis Bernard became involved in many avant-garde projects, such as his work with OTUA, l'Office Technique pour l'Utilisation de l'Acier. OTUA was the creative branch of the French steel industry, and was founded in the late 1920s. Francis Bernard designed their logo, worked with A.M. Cassandre on the design of the organization's magazine Acier, designed exhibition stands and advertising for the company and worked closely with other designers like René Herbst, Robert Mallet-Stevens and Jean Prouvé who all designed furniture for the company. It has been suggested that these photomontages are the work of Germaine Krull.