TONY GARNIER (1869-1948) VILLE DE LYON / EXPOSITION INTERNATIONALE / LA CITÉ MODERNE. 1914. 63x46 inches, 160x116 3/4 cm. J.E. Goossens, Paris. Condition B+: repaired tears, abrasions and staining along vertical and horizontal folds. Unfairly forgotten by history, Tony Garnier was one of the great architects of the 20th century. Inspired by the Utopists movements of the 19th century, he took on the task of materializing their ideas using concrete and iron. Between 1911 and 1913 Garnier designed a huge architectural complex, including a gigantic hall intended to become a cattle market, in which he and Edouard Herriot, the socialist mayor of Lyon, planned to organize the first ever exhibition on Urbanism called La Cité Moderne (The Modern City), an exhibition dedicated to the rational development of modern cities. The exhibition was ultimately cancelled due to the outbreak of World War I, but not before the poster (Garnier's first and only attempt at graphic design) was printed. Its overall style is clearly in rupture with the predominant Art Nouveau style of the period. The lettering, the blue frame inside the poster and the geometric way the image is cut inside the poster evoke an Art Deco style. The most interesting part is obviously the central image which shows the hall itself -- a gigantic metal structure built without any pillars. The Grand Hall still exists in Lyon, where it houses a contemporary art exhibition and enjoys status as a national landmark. La Contstruction Lyonnaise p. 254, La Cahiers d'Art No. 8, 1928, p. 343-351.
