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...
$1,031
H 29 in W 20.25 in D 0.01 in
Barbet Schroeder 'More' Original Vintage Movie Poster, Japanese, 1971
Located in Devon, GB
A bewitching full-bleed black and white photograph of a supine Mimsy Farmer confronts us on this scarce english-language poster for the first Japanese release of Barbet Schroeder's 1...
Paper, Linen
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
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
$1,169
H 46 in W 30 in D 0.01 in
Public Enemy 'It Takes A Nation of Millions' Original Vintage Poster, 1988
Located in Devon, GB
Prolific American hip-hop group Public Enemy's Chuck D and Flavor Flav appear behind bars in a photograph by Glen E. Friedman on this sought after original Def Jam promotional poster...
Paper
$1,375
H 11 in W 14 in D 0.01 in
'Breakfast at Tiffany's' Original Vintage US Lobby Card Movie Poster, 1961
By Robert E. McGinnis
Located in Devon, GB
Lobby Cards were designed for display in a cinema lobby to lure the movie-going public. Typically released in sets of 8, each card depicted a different scene from the film. This charming US lobby card for 'Breakfast At Tiffany's,' number 7 of the set, depicts Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly and George Peppard as Paul Varjak sipping coffee against a backdrop of Manhattan. Featuring a miniature version of Robert McGinnis' iconic artwork used for the US insert, the lobby cards offer a bit of Tiffany's magic at a more affordable price point than the larger and highly sought after US Campaign posters. Holly Golightly would be Audrey Hepburn’s defining role, establishing her status as one of the greatest screen legends and style icons of all time. It seems unbelievable now that Truman Capote, author of the novella on which the movie was based, had his heart set on Marilyn Monroe for the part. Monroe pulled out of the running when her acting coach advised her not to play a lady of the night...
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
$1,031
H 15.5 in W 11.13 in D 0.01 in
'Barbarella' Original Vintage Movie Poster by Kája Saudek, Czech, 1971
By Karel Saudek
Located in Devon, GB
Paramount's 1968 sexy science fiction comedy 'Barbarella,' based on the Italian comic book of the same name, follows Jane Fonda as the titular 41st century space-vixen, tasked with f...
Paper
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
'The Shining' Original Vintage British Quad Film Poster, 1980
Located in Devon, GB
A scarce and unusual 'Weekend Mirror' style teaser quad for the British release of Stanley Kubrick's 1980 modern horror masterpiece 'The Shining,' starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. Based on the bestselling novel by Stephen King, the seminal psychological horror initially opened to mixed reviews, before growing momentum over the summer of 1980 to become an American box-office success. With anticipation building for the October 1980 British release, Warner Bros. made the canny marketing decision to reproduce a tabloid newspaper spread from the Saturday, August 30, 1980, edition of the Daily Mirror, on "the tide...
Paper, Linen
$13,754
H 55.13 in W 39.63 in D 0.01 in
'Barbarella' Original Vintage Movie Poster by Mario De Berardinis, Italian, 1968
By Mario De Berardinis
Located in Devon, GB
An incredibly rare Italian due fogli teaser poster for Roger Vadim's 1968 sexy science fiction comedy 'Barbarella', with spectacular psychedelic artwork by Mario De Berardinis. Based...
Paper, Linen
$1,375
H 28.63 in W 20.13 in D 0.01 in
James Bond 'From Russia With Love' Original Vintage Movie Poster, Japanese, 1964
Located in Devon, GB
In Sean Connery's second outing as James Bond, 'From Russia With Love' saw the British spy battling a secret crime organization known as Spectre. The follow-up to 007's 1962 debut in...
Paper
'Alien' Original Vintage Film Poster by Zdenek Ziegler, Czech, 1982
By Zdenek Ziegler
Located in Devon, GB
Although Western films were shown during the Soviet era in the Communist Bloc, American publicity materials were banned, allowing the state-commissioned artists to operate with total...
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.