Félix Labisse was a self-taught painter, illustrator and theater designer born in Douai, a small commune in France close to the Belgian border. In Douai, Labisse studied at the Collège Saint Jean and later enrolled at the École de Pêche in Ostend, a city on the Belgian coast. Labisse was closely associated with the Expressionist painter James Ensor, whom he met on a visit to Ostend in 1922. Subsequently, Labisse’s early works are anchored in Flemish Expressionism under the influence of Ensor. In his later works, Labisse developed his own aesthetic, exploring the boundaries between fantasy, ritual, magic and eroticism. He experimented with perspective and used motifs such as naked women and hybrid beasts in fantastical settings. Labisse also met the filmmaker Henri Storck, and they founded the Club du Cinéma d’Ostende, which disseminated avant-garde films by Man Ray, Carl Dreyer and Fritz Lang.
Beginning in 1927, Labisse divided his time between Paris and Ostend, becoming a major French painter. His first exhibition, which gained him critical acclaim, took place at the Ostend Gallery of Modern Art in July 1928. In 1933, Labisse settled in Paris and produced the set and costumes for Autour d’une Mère at the Théâtre de l’Atelier. In Paris, he became part of the Surrealist milieu, meeting André Masson, Max Ernst, Raymond Queneau, René Magritte and Paul Delvaux. It was in 1938 that Labisse fully established his career as a painter after his exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. In 1947, the French filmmaker Alain Resnaise created a short film starring Labisse in his studio titled Visite à Félix. Labisse was also a successful illustrator, producing drawings for the books Le Bain avec Andromède (1944) and Histoire Naturelle (1948) by Robert Desnos. His subjects included creatures such as the cyclops and the medieval French Guivre — a serpentine creature.
By 1951, Labisse moved to Neuilly-sur-Seine, where he would later die. Closely linked to Surrealism — a movement to which he never completely adhered too — Labisse is perhaps most recognized for his 1960s series of austere, blue goddess-like women. Interestingly, his political differences estranged him from the writer André Breton, a communist who was the founder of Surrealism and author of the Surrealist Manifesto. Remaining on the sidelines of Breton’s movement, Labisse continued to explore the limits of his imagination through painting. In 1957, Labisse published his Le Sorcier des Familles: Almanach Fatidique, featuring texts and illustrations in the layout of a calendar. He earned the respect of Breton, who wrote to him: "Beyond what may have sometimes divided us, let me tell you that I greatly appreciate your Sorcier des Familles […] This is a surrealist book, as I see it. My warmest compliments."
Labisse had his first retrospective in July 1960 at Knokke Casino in Belgium, where he exhibited 105 paintings. In 1966, he was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in France, and in 1974, he became a member of the jury at the Cannes festival. Labisse maintained a lifelong friendship with Ensor that is immortalized in the painting Bonjour M. Ensor (1964).
(Biography provided by Stern Pissarro Gallery)
Festival Mondial Du Film Beau-Arts De Belgique
By Felix Labisse
Located in London, GB
Original Belgian film poster for the Festival Mondial du Film Beau-Arts de Belgique (La Naissance du Cinema Lumiere Melies) Mondial du Film et Des Beaux-Artsheld in Brussels, Belgiu...
$1,995Sale Price|20% Off
H 30.25 in W 40 in D 0.01 in
James Bond 'For Your Eyes Only' Original Vintage Movie Poster, British, 1981
By Bill Gold, Brian Bysouth
Located in Devon, GB
The twelfth film in the James Bond series, EON Productions 'For Your Eyes Only' saw a return to earth with a more realistic and less sensational storyline after the extravagance of '...
Paper, Linen
$775Sale Price|20% Off
H 39.25 in W 28 in D 0.01 in
James Bond 'Goldfinger' Original Vintage Film Poster, Swedish, 1967
By Gosta Aberg
Located in Devon, GB
Considered the quintessential and definitive Bond film, the third instalment in EON Productions' James Bond series set the template for many of the subsequent films, with its tongue in cheek humour, extensive use of gadgets and technology and multiple foreign locations. The first Bond blockbuster, 1964s 'Goldfinger' was also the first Bond film to utilise a standalone pre-credits sequence, the first to employ a pop star to sing the theme song and the first to win an Academy Award. The plot saw 007 uncover a plot to contaminate the United States gold reserve at Fort Knox while investigating the smuggling activities of powerful gold magnate Auric Goldfinger. This stunning poster designed by prolific Swedish...
Linen, Paper
$2,216Sale Price|20% Off
H 38 in W 25.75 in D 0.1 in
'Taxi Driver' Original Vintage Movie Poster by Andrzej Klimowski, Polish, 1978
By Andrzej Klimowski
Located in Devon, GB
Set amidst the moral decay of New York City following the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal, Martin Scorsese's 1976 psychological thriller 'Taxi Driver' starred Robert De Niro as a l...
Paper
$1,662Sale Price|20% Off
H 31.5 in W 23.25 in D 0.01 in
'Paris-Champagne' Original Vintage French Movie Poster, 1964
By Sinclare
Located in Devon, GB
Although the film itself is somewhat unknown, released only in France and the Netherlands, this stunning French Moyenne poster for the 1964 Pierre Armand melodrama 'Paris-Champagne' ...
Paper, Linen
Arts Decoratifs Du Xxeme Siecle & Design (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
We have two Christies sale catalogues dated from 2008 which feature many important pieces by some of the best known and most sought after designers of the 20th century and Art Deco e...
Paper
$886Sale Price|20% Off
H 41 in W 27 in D 0.01 in
Star Wars 'Return of the Jedi' Original Vintage US One Sheet Movie Poster, 1983
By Tim Reamer
Located in Devon, GB
Tim Reamer's simple and effective poster design for the final instalment of George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy has become emblematic of the entire saga, with its glowing lights...
Paper
L'art Du Meuble En Belgique Au XXeme Siecle De Horta a Nos Jours (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
By Frans Defour The Art of furniture in Belgium in the 20th century, this is a scarce hardback book in a presentation slipcase, 213 pages with colour and...
Paper
$13,854Sale Price|20% Off
H 30 in W 39.75 in D 0.1 in
James Bond 'Goldfinger' Original Vintage British Quad Movie Poster, 1964
Located in Devon, GB
Considered the quintessential and definitive Bond film, the third instalment in EON Productions' James Bond series set the template for many of the subsequent films, with its tongue in cheek humour, extensive use of gadgets and technology and multiple foreign locations. The first Bond blockbuster, 1964's 'Goldfinger' was also the first Bond film to utilise a standalone pre-credits sequence, the first to employ a pop star to sing the theme song and the first to win an Academy Award. The plot saw 007 uncover a plot to contaminate the United States gold reserve at Fort Knox while investigating the smuggling activities of powerful gold magnate Auric Goldfinger. The film's lasting image is of the gold-painted girl, featured here on the sought after 'Style A' British Quad poster for the original UK release in 1964. Robert Brownjohn...
Paper
$387Sale Price|20% Off
H 28 in W 13 in D 0.1 in
Pink Floyd 'The Wall' Original Vintage Movie Poster, Australian, 1982
By Gerald Scarfe
Located in Devon, GB
Based on Pink Floyd's 1979 narrative concept album of the same name, "The Wall" follows the descent into madness of Bob Geldof's troubled rock star Pink as he constructs a metaphoric...
Paper
Italian Motorcycle, Mondial 1960 Sprint, Classic Motorbike.
Located in Oxfordshire, GB
F B (Fratelli Boselli) Mondial 1960 Mondial Sprint Motorcycle. This exquisitely engineered and beautifully constructed 1960 Mondial Sprint motorbike is unmistakably Italian. It has m...
Steel
$3,750
H 47.75 in W 37.5 in D 1 in
Army Air Service "Over There!" WW I Recruitment Poster by Louis Fancher, 1918
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Offered is a 1918 WWI recruitment poster by Louis Fancher. This U.S. Army Signal Corps Recruitment Poster features an army serviceman raising one hand and...
Paper
$665Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.88 in W 13.5 in D 0.1 in
'Taxi Driver' Original Vintage Movie Poster, Australian, 1976
By Guy Peelleart
Located in Devon, GB
Set amidst the moral decay of New York City following the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal, Martin Scorsese's 1976 psychological thriller "Taxi Driver" starred Robert De Niro as a lonely and disturbed anti-hero cab driver and war vet growing increasingly alienated and unhinged as his dreams of cleaning up the corrupt and sleazy city lead him down a path of violence, plotting to assassinate both a presidential candidate and the pimp of an underage prostitute, played by a 12 year old Jodie Foster. Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, it was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor for De Niro and Best Supporting Actor for Foster. De Niro's "You talkin' to me?" scene, where he imagines a confrontation in front of a mirror, gave us one of the most iconic quotes in movie history. This Australian Daybill poster features the same atmospheric Guy Peellaert...
Linen, Paper
Labisse Felix Lithography Signed Labisse "Nu"
By Felix Labisse
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Labisse Felix (1905-1982) lithography signed Labisse "Nu" E.A épreuve d'artiste.
Paper
Labisse Felix Lithography Signed Labisse "Nu"
By Felix Labisse
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Labisse Felix (1905-1982) lithography signed Labisse "Nu" 141/180.