Jules Chéret

JULES CHÉRET (Paris, 1836 - 1932).
"Character from the Commedia dell'Arte".
Red chalk and gouache on paper.
Signed.
Size: 35.5 x 23.5 cm; 48 x 35.5 cm (frame).
Jules Cheret was a French painter and lithographer who was to become a master of poster art. Self-taught, he studied the techniques of various artists, ancient and modern, by visiting the museums of Paris. Although some of his paintings enjoyed recognition, it was his work as a poster artist that would bring him the greatest fame and for which he would be remembered. Influenced by the frivolous scenes depicted in the works of Jean-Honoré Fragonard and other rococo artists such as Antoine Watteau, Chéret recreated vivid posters for cabarets, variety theatres and theatres such as the Eldorado, the Paris Olympia, the Folies Bergère, the Opera House, the Alcazar d'Ete and the Moulin Rouge. Due to high demand, he expanded his business to provide advertisements for touring company performances, municipal festivals and then for beverages and spirits, perfumes, soaps, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Eventually he became a major advertising force, adding railway companies and a number of manufacturing businesses to his client list. In 1895, Chéret created the Maîtres de l'Affiche collection, a significant publication of smaller classified art reproductions featuring the best works of nineteen Parisian artists. Its success inspired an industry that saw the emergence of a new generation of designers and poster painters such as Charles Gesmar and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. One of his pupils was Georges de Feure (1868-1943). In his old age, Jules Chéret retired to the balmy climate of the Côte d'Azur in Nice. He died in 1932 at the age of 96 and was buried in the Saint-Vincent cemetery in the Montmartre district of Paris. In 1933 he was honoured with a posthumous exhibition of his works at the prestigious Salon d'Automne in Paris. Over the years, Chéret's posters have become highly sought after by collectors around the world. The Jules Chéret Museum of Fine Arts was opened in Nice.