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Georges Henri Privat-Livemont
ABSINTHE ROBETTE, Framed Color Lithograph, 1896.
1896

Name: ABSINTHE ROBETTE, Framed Color Lithograph, 1896.
Brand: Georges Henri Privat-Livemont
Rating: 5 (13 reviews)

$32,000List Price

About the Item

ABSINTHE ROBETTE, color lithograph, signed and dated in the lower right: “1896/Privat-Livemont”; with the printer’s stamp in the plate in the lower left: “Des Presses de J.L. Goffart Lithographie Bruxelles” How best to capture the essence of absinthe’s appeal for the consumer market in 1896? La fee verte (the green fairy), was a popular euphemism for absinthe. Why not take inspiration from one of the hottest female performers of the day as a stand-in for the little fairy to create the ideal female personification of this product? Why not tap into the mystique of joining art and science like Loie Fuller’s captivating use of dance and light? For Privat-Livemont, his feminine ideal is the embodiment of art blended into the essence of nature. Chartreuse, the color characteristic of herbaceous absinthe in its pure state, illuminates the beguiling sprite’s form. Her tunic is ethereal; like Loie Fuller’s scarfs, there is but a wispy suggestion of material. The ribbons of fabric point upwards towards the prepared glass of absinthe. The woman holds a steady gaze upon that raised offering in knowing anticipation for what will surely be the transformative moment. Wisp-like emanations from the floral stalks and surrounding cloudy forms echo the turbid nature of the glass as water flows into the absinthe elixir. They allude to that moment when the absinthe will be transformed into an opaque libation, and all of its botanical olfactory notes will be released. The blooming of these herbal aromas will be but one of the many delights to the senses. Choose Absinthe Robette and one’s spirit will surely be transported and elevated to a higher plane. This is the allure of Absinthe Robette. George Privat-Livemont (Belgian 1861-1936) is notable for his interior decorations for Paris’ l’Hotel de Ville, l’Opera and la Comedie Francaise; however, it is his iconic poster he created in 1896 for Absinthe Robette for which he has become immortalized. Privat-Livemont’s artistic training began in Belgium at l’Ecole des Arts Decoratifs in St-Josse-ten-noode. Then from 1883-1889, while he was a student in Paris at l’Ecole de Dessin Etienne-Marcel, he began his career in interior design. He exhibited several paintings in 1886 and 1887 at the Salon de Paris. Upon his return to his native town of Schaerbeek where he taught, Privat-Livemont developed an interest in lithography. His first efforts in commercial advertisement grew like the buds of an Art Nouveau-inspired cluster of lilies. His designs unfurled their heady perfume and quickly bloomed into a full flowering of poster design whose potency was irresistible to the public. The brief period at the close of the 19th century- this period of Poster Mania- in which Privat-Livemont produced poster advertisements in the Art Nouveau style sufficed in garnering him the title bestowed by The Poster magazine: “the uncontested master of Belgian posterists.” Absinthe Robette was a brand of Belgian Absinthe and the trademark of Distillerie Petitjean & Cie, Mons, Belgique. When Petitjean died, his widow, Madame Robette, continued to run the distillery which boasted 52 employees. Absinthe is an anise-flavored spirit containing wormwood and other herbs with known medicinal properties. During the French colonial campaigns of the 1830s and ‘40s, troops were supplied with absinthe as a malarial preventative. By the time Haussmann’s system of Grand Boulevards had transformed Paris, all of the fashionable were heading to bars and cafes for their customary glass or two of absinthe for their evening l’aperitif. In reference to the spirit’s distinctive greenish hue, this daily ritual was simply known as l’heure verte (the green hour.) Industrialization and mass-production by the 1880s allowed absinthe prices to fall and soon absinthe became the preferred beverage among all social strata. The drink was served neat in a glass accompanied by a pitcher of cold water, a slotted spoon and some sugar cubes. The customer could then customize their drink by placing some sugar onto the spoon which one rested over the glass and, in a steady stream, pour the water over the sugar until the desired effect was obtained. Once a sufficient amount of water dilutes the absinthe, louching occurs which turns the clear greenish spirit into a milky, opalescent solution. As absinthe’s popularity soared, a whole sub-set of products and terms emerged from this drinking practice including special glasses with lines indicating a proper amount of absinthe; decorative slotted spoons and even fountains which allowed every companion sharing a table to add water to their absinthe, hands-free. Absinthe, known by most at this time as la fee verte (the green fairy), captures the spirit of the Belle Epoque. With the rising social class’s increased time for leisure; absinthe was the glue which cemented the working class, bohemian artists and rich bourgeoisie into one community. By the time Privat-Livemont was commissioned to create a poster to advertise this Belgian brand of absinthe, absinthe itself was at the height of its popularity; so much so, that the fledgling wine industry in France, which had become severely crippled from the phylloxera blight in the 1870s, had joined forces with supporters of the temperance movement to target absinthe as public enemy number one. Privat-Livemont’s design taps into a real need to codify absinthe’s social legitimacy. He elevates the favorite leisure-time activity to a transformative ritual. The instant appeal of Privat-Livemont’s poster catapulted Belgium’s Absinthe Robette to the coveted status of the industry’s standard-bearer.

Creator:
Georges Henri Privat-Livemont (1861 - 1936, Belgian)
Creation Year:
1896
Dimensions:
Height: 34.75 in (88.27 cm)Width: 43.25 in (109.86 cm)
Medium:
Lithograph
Movement & Style:
Art Nouveau
Period:
1890-1899
Condition:
Featured in "Posters of the Belle Epoque: The Wine Spectator Collection", Rennert, 1990, illustration #80. Unobtrusive folds, with very minor toning to edges.
Gallery Location:
Palm Beach, FL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU46739894532

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