Cassandre
{{short description|French painter and designer}}
{{for multi|the opera by Bertin de la Doué and Bouvard|Cassandre (opera)|the opera by Jarrell|Cassandre (Jarrell)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron
| image = Portret van A. M. Cassandre in Rijksacademie in Amsterdam, 1967.jpg
| alt = A. M. Cassandre, 1967
| caption = A.M. Cassandre
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1901|1|24|df=y}}
| birth_place = Kharkiv, Russian Empire (now Ukraine)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1968|6|17|1901|1|24}}
| death_place = Paris, France
| nationality = French
| occupation = Painter, commercial poster artist, typeface designer
}}
Cassandre, pseudonym of Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron{{in lang|fr}} [http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb120831619/PUBLIC Notice d'autorité personne : Cassandre], BnF, according to the international pseudonym convention described in the BnF authority file. (24 January 1901 – 17 June 1968), was a French painter, commercial poster artist, and typeface designer.http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/24/cassandre/ Brainpickings - Cassandre, accessdate on 27 January 2013[http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.B00033337 Benezit Dictionary of Artists]
Early life and career
He was born Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron in Kharkiv, Slobidska Ukraine- autonomous unit within the Russian Empire,{{cite web|url=http://www.identifont.com/show?10Y|title=Adolphe Mouron Cassandre (1901-1968)|last=O'Mahony|first=Niamh|access-date=7 August 2009}}(ru)[http://bigenc.ru/fine_art/text/2050658 Great Russian Encyclopedia] to French parents. As a young man, he moved to Paris, where he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and at the Académie Julian. The popularity of posters as advertising afforded him an opportunity to work for a Parisian printing house. Inspired by cubism as well as surrealism, he earned a reputation with works such as Bûcheron (Woodcutter), a poster created for a cabinetmaker that won first prize at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes.
Cassandre became successful enough that with the help of partners he was able to set up his own advertising agency called Alliance Graphique, serving a wide variety of clients during the 1930s. He is perhaps best known for his posters advertising travel, for clients such as the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits.[https://www.moma.org/artists/1015 See images at Moma.org] He was a pioneer of airbrush arts.
His creations for the Dubonnet wine company were among the first posters designed in a manner that allowed them to be seen by occupants in moving vehicles. His posters are memorable for their innovative graphic solutions and their frequent denotations to such painters as Max Ernst and Pablo Picasso. In addition, he taught graphic design at the École des Arts Décoratifs and then at the École d'Art Graphique.
With typography an important part of poster design, the company created several new typeface styles. Cassandre developed Bifur in 1929, the sans serif Acier Noir in 1935, and in 1937 an all-purpose font called Peignot. In 1936, his works were exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City which led to commissions from Harper's Bazaar to do cover designs.
Later career
File:Poster Cassandre van de Étoile du Nord in een van de werkkamers, Bestanddeelnr 189-0330.jpg
With the onset of World War II, Cassandre served in the French army until the fall of France. His business long gone, he survived by creating stage sets and costumes for the theatre, something he had dabbled in during the 1930s.[http://www.lesarchivesduspectacle.net/?IDX_Personne=21552 Archives du spectacle] After the war, he continued this line of work while also returning to easel painting. He worked with several famous French fashion houses, designing playing cards and scarfs for Hermès[http://www.wopc.co.uk/france/cassandra-hermes The World of Playing Cards] and the well-known Yves Saint Laurent logo.
In his later years, Cassandre suffered from bouts of depression prior to his suicide in Paris in June 1968. He was buried in the Parisian Montparnasse Cemetery (8th division).
In 1985, his son Henri Mouron published a study of his father's work in a book titled A.M. Cassandre.{{cite book |last=Mouron |first=Henri |title=A. M. Cassandre |translator=Michael Taylor |publisher=Rizzoli |date=1985 |isbn=0-8478-0651-0}}
Typeface
These foundry types were produced by Deberny & Peignot from designs by Cassandre:Jaspert, W. Pincus, W. Turner Berry and A.F. Johnson. The Encyclopedia of Type Faces. Blandford Press Lts.: 1953, 1983, {{ISBN|0-7137-1347-X}}, p. 2408-249
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
- Acier Noir (1936)
- Bifur (1929)
- Peignot (1937)
- Touraine (1947), with Charles Peignot
}}
Notable works
File:Opening decor en affiche-tentoonstelling van A. M. Cassandre (in voorgrond) in , Bestanddeelnr 920-3491.jpg, Amsterdam, 1967]]
- Nord Express, 1925{{Cite web |last=Museum |first=Victoria and Albert |title=Nord Express {{!}} Cassandre, Adolphe Mouron {{!}} V&A Explore The Collections |url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O89673/ |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections |language=en}}
- Etoile Du Nord, 1927{{Cite web |title=A. M. Cassandre. Étoile du Nord. 1927 {{!}} MoMA |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/5807 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=The Museum of Modern Art |language=en}}
- La Route Bleue, 1929{{Cite web |title=A. M. Cassandre. La Route Bleu, Londres-Paris-Côte D'Azur en Autocars de Luxe. 1929 {{!}} MoMA |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/6924 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=The Museum of Modern Art |language=en}}
- Chemin De Fer Du Nord, 1929{{Cite web |title=A. M. Cassandre. Chemin De Fer Du Nord - Vitesse-Luxe-Confort. 1929 {{!}} MoMA |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/83512 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=The Museum of Modern Art |language=en}}
- L’ Atlantique, 1931{{Cite web |title=L'atlantique, 1931 - Cassandre - WikiArt.org |url=https://www.wikiart.org/en/cassandre/l-atlantique-1931 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=www.wikiart.org}}
- Triplex, 1930{{Cite web |title=A. M. Cassandre. Triplex (Poster for a safety glass manufacturer). 1930 {{!}} MoMA |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/5987 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=The Museum of Modern Art |language=en}}
- Dubonnet, 1932{{Cite web |title=A. M. Cassandre. Dubonnet, Vin Tonique au Quinquina. 1932 {{!}} MoMA |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/6017 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=The Museum of Modern Art |language=en}}
- Normandie, 1935{{Cite web |title=A. M. Cassandre. Normandie. 1935 {{!}} MoMA |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/6091 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=The Museum of Modern Art |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Other sources
- Robert K. Brown, Susan Reinhold: The poster art of A. M. Cassandre. - New York: Dutton, 1979
- Henri Mouron: A. M. Cassandre : affiches, arts graph., théâtre. - München: Schirmer/Mosel, 1985
published in English as Cassandre : Posters, Typography, Stage Designs - London: Thames and Hudson, 1986 ({{ISBN|0-500-23450-7}})
Further reading
- {{cite book|title=Design of the 20th Century|first1=Charlotte|last1=Fiell|first2=Peter|last2=Fiell|publisher=Taschen|location=Köln|edition=25th anniversary|year=2005|pages=145–146|isbn=9783822840788|oclc=809539744}}
External links
- [http://www.cassandre.fr/ Official french website with many samples of his work]
- [http://www.adcglobal.org/archive/hof/1972/?id=296 Art Directors Club biography, portrait and images of work] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804180510/http://www.adcglobal.org/archive/hof/1972/?id=296 |date=4 August 2008 }}
{{Authority control (arts)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassandre, Adolphe Mouron}}
Category:People from Kharkovsky Uyezd
Category:French graphic designers
Category:French poster artists
Category:20th-century French painters
Category:Académie Julian alumni