Leon Bakst

Work by Léon Bakst - early 20th-century wartime propaganda Avant-garde

Circa 1915

The 1918 original poster by Adolphe Willette, created for the Banque de l'Union Parisienne, is a compelling piece of wartime propaganda, urging citizens to contribute to the fourth national loan (4e Emprunt National). This poster, titled Pour que la France soit victorieuse comme à Valmy! (So that France may be victorious like at Valmy!), is a poignant call to action, blending historical reference with patriotic fervor to inspire public support during the final year of World War I. Adolphe Willette, a prominent French painter, illustrator, and political cartoonist, was known for his evocative and often satirical works. During the war, artists like Willette played a crucial role in shaping public sentiment and encouraging national unity through their art. This particular poster exemplifies his ability to harness the power of visual storytelling to evoke a sense of duty and pride in the French populace. The poster references the Battle of Valmy...

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's "Divan Japonais, 75 rue des Martyrs" poster, created in 1896, is an emblematic example of the poster art of the period. It is part of the "Maîtres de l'Af...

This original 1917 lithographic poster by Alphonse Grebel was created to promote the Foire de Paris, held from May 1st to 15th during the final years of World War I. Far beyond a sim...

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's "Jane Avril, Jardin de Paris" poster, created in 1898, is an emblematic piece of poster art at the time. It is part of the "Maîtres de l'Affiche" collecti...

Dangerous Jokes is an Original Lithograph realized by Willette (Adolphe Léon). Good condition on a yellowed paper. Hand signed with blue pencil on the lower left corner. Adolphe ...

Three iconic Leon Bakst costume designs for Le Dieu Bleu ( The Blue God ) a ballet choreographed by Michel Fokine and written by Cocteau. The ballet premiered in Paris in 1912. It tells the story of a girl who tries to dissuade her fiancé from becoming a priest and is thereafter tormented by demons; but she is eventually saved by the Blue God, a part performed by Vaslaw Nijinsky, the greatest male dancer of his time. Fokine’s choreography and Bakst’s costumes drew upon Siamese dance and Hindu sculpture. These three prints are vintage reproductions quite unlike the reproductions of today. They each have the look of original watercolors and are backed on heavy grey rag paper with a hand painted gold border. Properly framed they will definitely look like the original drawing. The size of the actual prints varies slightly but the background paper size is consistently 10.5 x 15.5. Born in Russia in 1866, Léon Bakst belonged to a young generation of European artists who rebelled against 19th-century stage realism, sparking a revolution in theatre design. His fame lay in the sets and costumes he designed for Serge Diaghilev’s (1872 – 1929) legendary dance company the Ballets Russes, and his huge pageant spectaculars for the dancer and patron of the performing arts, Ida Rubinstein...

Jules Chéret Lidia (Alcazar d'été), 1895 Stone ithograph Printed signature in the plate On vellum Size 39 x 29 cm (c. 15.3 x 11.4") INFORMATION : Plate 25 of "Les Maîtres de...

Marcus Behmer (German, 1879 – 1958) Die Geravbte orchidee (The robbed orchid), 1903 Signed ‘Marcus Behmer’ (lower right in pencil) Lithograph on paper 16.1/8 x 12in. (40.8 x 30.5cm.) It is apparent Behmer is influenced by the work of Aubrey Beardsley, though this work is no less beautiful in its execution. Little is known regarding his connections to Oscar Wilde though he is obviously an admirer and has many similarities with his private life and incarceration in prison. These works were a personal gift to Baron Detlev von Hadeln, the aristocrat and prominent art historian of the age. Behmer is known to be, since 1903, a member in the first ever homosexual organization in Berlin and was thus probably a part of Adolf Brand’s circle, and may have contributed to Brand’s publication Der Eigene. Until now, few know that Behmer was sentenced in April 1937 by a court in Konstanz to imprisonment for two years, being arrested in Freiburg and at other locations in southern Germany for being a homosexual. At times he was given the opportunity to work as an artist in prison. The works produced in this period are mostly calligraphic designed tablets with Greek text (prayers and Bible quotes...