?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
SEPO (SEVERO POZZATI 1895-1983) ALCOOL DE MENTHE RICQLES. 1929. 601/2x443/4 inches. Dorland, Paris. Condition A-: restoration along vertical and horizontal folds; creases in margins and image. Sepo began his artistic career working for the publisher Maga in his native Italy. He moved to France in 1917 and was hired by Vercasson, Maga's sister company in Paris and Cappiello's printer. Sepo went on to the French office of the Dorland Advertising Agency, where he worked on their major accounts. He created an almost signature Art Deco approach to the object poster, using a soft cubist style and a red, gray, and white palette. He first used this approach in 1928 in posters for the Novoltex shirt company (see Swann Modernist Posters auction #1970 lot 32). The following year, he used almost the exact same style in this poster for a brand of mint liqueur. The poster is an intricate series of shadows with both the bottle and the wax seal echoed in the background. The bottle itself is presented at a rakish angle and truly stands out against the red seal. The whole ensemble gives geometric rhythm to the poster, and helps to visually overshadow the very old-looking design of the bottle. It is also complimented by cleverly arranged typography. The traditional company was sorely in need of a makeover, and Sepo's style helped modernize its image. Vendre, July 1929, Modern Publicity 1930, p. 90.
