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Jules Chéret Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

French, 1836-1932

Once upon a belle époque, Jules Chéret and his posters were the toast of Paris. It was the Art Nouveau era, a time when works like those created by Chéret were key to the fabric of the cosmopolitan thoroughfare in the French capital. Today, this extraordinary artist and printer is little known. 

It was Chéret who transformed the street advert into the most expressive and coveted art form of the late 1800s. Think: a red-headed belle in a flimsy yellow dress, frolicking through a field of blue as she pours a glass of “tonic wine,” with the brand name Vin Mariani wafting about her.

Through his bold advances in chromolithography and the graphic arts, Chéret and the younger talents he inspired — like Pierre Bonnard, Alphonse Mucha and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec — along with other artists, turned the stone-gray streets of Paris into a kaleidoscopic, ever-changing urban spectacle.

Raised in a family of poor Parisian artisans, Jules Chéret was apprenticed to a lithographer at 13. Although he took a class at the École nationale de dessin, as an artist, he was largely self-taught, schooling himself in art history and technique by visiting remarkable works at museums. When his first solo poster designs failed to garner further commissions, Chéret, then 23, relocated to London, where colorful but text-heavy posters enlivened the streets.

The move proved pivotal, as he soon found work with the French expat Eugène Rimmel, a visionary businessman and one of the founders of the beauty and healthcare industries. A brilliant marketer, he regularly produced colorful, elegantly illustrated and culturally sophisticated catalogues to publicize House of Rimmel cosmetics and fragrances. These and other promotional ventures kept Chéret busy, while sharpening his understanding of the commercial potential of print. 

So, when he learned of the invention of a press that could print large-scale formats inexpensively, Chéret recognized an opportunity to become his own boss. Now 30 years old, he returned to Paris with the financial support of Rimmel to establish his own print shop specializing in jumbo-size street posters and set about forging a fresh, eye-catching approach to their design.

Chéret accelerated the process of chromolithography by adding a stone with a graduated background that scaled in hue from orange to blue. With this, in addition to red- and black-pigmented stones, he could make vibrant posters more quickly and cheaply. In the late 1870s, his acquisition of steam-powered presses further sped up production and dramatically increased the volume of his output. 

But perhaps Chéret’s greatest contribution to our world today was a simple insight into an eternal truth: Sex sells. The best way to market a product is to put a pretty, revealingly dressed young woman in the ad. In the 1890s, Chéret put so many to work in this cause that they came to be known as “Chérettes,” a conflation of chérie (“darling”) and Chéret. 

Descended from the enchanting mademoiselles in the bucolic painterly confections of Rococo artists like Antoine Watteau and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, all smiles and femininity, they fused the present with the past, making them potent symbols of a newly affluent and peaceful France. 

Find original Jules Chéret posters and prints and other Art Nouveau posters on 1stDibs.

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Artist: Jules Chéret
Jules Cheret (1836-1932) La Confidence, 1909, drawing signed
By Jules Chéret
Located in Paris, FR
Jules Cheret (1836-1932) La Confidence (The confidence) 1909 signed and dated in the lower right Charcoal and heightenings of white chalk 22.7 x 22.7 cm Framed under glass : 33.8 x...
Category

Early 1900s Art Nouveau Jules Chéret Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal, Chalk

Jules Cheret (1836-1932) A couple, 1909, drawing signed
By Jules Chéret
Located in Paris, FR
Jules Cheret (1836-1932) A couple, 1909 signed and dated in the lower right Charcoal and heightenings of white chalk 23 x 23 cm Framed under glass : 33.8 x 33.8 cm This work is hi...
Category

Early 1900s Art Nouveau Jules Chéret Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal, Chalk

Jules Cheret (1836-1932) Two studies of a woman, 1921 charcoal drawing, signed
By Jules Chéret
Located in Paris, FR
Jules Cheret (1836-1932) Two studies of a woman, 1921 charcoal on grey paper signed and dated 24 10 (19)21 on the bottom right 39.5 x 24 cm A varnish stain in the lower middle of t...
Category

1920s Art Nouveau Jules Chéret Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal

Jules Cheret (1836-1932) Three studies of women, original signed drawing
By Jules Chéret
Located in Paris, FR
Jules Cheret (1836-1932) Three studies of women charcoal on paper signed on the bottom left 39 x 24.5 cm This drawing of studies was part of the artist's workshop as so it bears the...
Category

1910s Art Nouveau Jules Chéret Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal

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Jules Cheret (1836-1932) A Gallant scene with Pierrot, 1904 watercolor signed
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Jules Cheret (1836-1932) An elegant woman, original signed drawing
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Jules Cheret (1836-1932) An elegant woam charcoal and heightenings of white gouache on paper signed on the bottom right 39 x 23.5 cm In good condition, the paper is slighly undulat...
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Jules Cheret (1836-1932) A bullfighter, charcoal drawing, signed
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Jules Cheret (1836-1932) A young lady, two studies, charcoal drawing, signed
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Jules Chéret figurative drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Jules Chéret figurative drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Jules Chéret in chalk, charcoal and more. Not every interior allows for large Jules Chéret figurative drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Louis Valtat, Marcel Bloch, and Théophile Alexandre Steinlen. Jules Chéret figurative drawings and watercolors prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $379 and tops out at $2,800, while the average work can sell for $1,688.
Questions About Jules Chéret Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Jules Cheret contributed to poster history by changing how the art world viewed posters. In 1884, he showed his works in the first-ever gallery exhibition of posters, helping to elevate the art form. Find a variety of Jules Cheret art on 1stDibs.

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