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Estimate: $ 800 - $ 1,200
ZIG (LOUIS GAUDIN) Mistinguett in a hen house. Illustration for poster maquette, 1932. Gouache on paper. 457x330 mm; 18x13 inches. Matted and framed to 23x19 inches. Signed and dated, "ZIG 32" in lower right image.
Louis Gaudin, who signed his art "Zig," began his career in the United States, designing the costumes for Broadway musicals. He is best known for his posters for Parisian nightlife during the 1920s and 30s.
His subject, Mistinguett, born Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois in 1875, was a performer famous for her raunchy and flamboyant stage shows, appearing at iconic French entertainment venues such as Casino de Paris, Folies Bergere and Moulin Rouge. Her popularity made her one of the most treasured and highest-paid female entertainers of her era.
In 1932 when this piece was made, Mistinguett would have been 57 years old, active in the theatre for nearly 40 years. She was legendary in France, considered the personification of the French people: "liberated, sophisticated, beautiful, stylish and enjoying the good things of life." [David]
Source: David, Samantha. A brief history of the original Mistinguett. (n.d.). https://www.connexionfrance.com. https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/People/Profiles/A-brief-history-of-the-original-Mistinguett
