Paul Colin (artist)

Paul Colin (27 June 1892 in Nancy, France – 18 June 1985 in Nogent-sur-Marne) was one of France’s greatest poster artists.

Paul Colin
Born(1892-06-27)27 June 1892
Nancy, France
Died18 June 1985(1985-06-18) (aged 92)
Nogent-sur-Marne

Made famous in 1925 by his poster for the Revue Nègre, which helped to launch the career of Josephine Baker (who became his mistress), he worked for over forty years in the theatre, creating not only posters but also numerous sets and costumes.

Very Art déco at the outset, (his Le Tumulte noir is a masterpiece of the genre), his style quickly became highly personal and impossible to categorize: the synthetic accuracy of his portraits, the evocative force of his posters for grand causes so marked him as a master of visual communication that his work today remains relevant and fresh. A student of Eugène Vallin and of Victor Prouvé, he is considered a master of the modern school of poster art. He is the author of over 1400 posters and many theatrical set and costume designs.

He was the master of painter Philippe Derome and poster artists duo Lefor-Openo

An original vintage poster of singer and Broadway star Adelaide Hall by Paul Colin advertising Blackbirds at the Moulin Rouge in 1929, sold on 2 October 2003 at Swann Auction Galleries in New York for $167,500.[1] The sale signalled a record high for an original Paul Colin poster.

References

Petrine Archer-Straw, Negrophilia: Avant-Garde Paris and Black Culture in the 1920s (2000)


  1. The Chassaing Collection of French Art Deco Posters Auction at Swann Auction Galleries in New York, catalogue 2 October 2003.
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