Joseba Prieto Atxa (1936-2017) - Gérard Philipe

- Oil on board. Signed.

- Joseba Prieto Atxa (Bilbao, 1935 - 2017) was a multifaceted artist, dancer and Basque poster designer who captured like few the spirit of popular culture and bohemia of his time. Born in Bilbao's Casco Viejo next to his inseparable twin brother Martín, he nurtured from a very young age a double passion: Basque traditional dances —which he learned in the historic group Dindirri— and advertising drawing, a trade he began shaping at sixteen at Publicidad Pregón. Known in night-time and cultural circles as part of the singular trios and agencies of the era, Prieto Atxa left an indelible legacy in graphic design and film poster art, even signing works for quinqui cinema and Spanish author cinema of the seventies and eighties with his two iconic last names, such as the alternative posters for Eloy de la Iglesia’s Colegas. His figure endures as that of a bold, vital creator and an indispensable “poster man” to understand the visual and artistic chronicle of a generation.

- Gérard Philipe (1922-1959) was one of the most iconic, dazzling and beloved actors in the history of French cinema and theater, universally remembered under the nickname “The Prince of Actors.” Blessed with magnetic classical beauty and exceptional acting abilities, Philipe became a true cult figure in the postwar period, mentored in his beginnings by Jean Cocteau himself. In the theater, he left an enduring mark alongside Jean Vilar at the Théâtre National Populaire and at the Avignon Festival, where he delivered masterful interpretations of works by Camus (being the first Caligula), Shakespeare and Corneille. At the same time, his screen career established him as the great romantic lead of his generation thanks to legendary titles such as The Devil in the Flesh (1947), The Charterhouse of Parma (1947) and the jovial Fanfan the Invincible (1951), eventually working in his final months under Luis Buñuel in The Ambitious (1959). Beyond his artistic facet, he was a man of deep political convictions, involved in the Resistance during the liberation of Paris and a firm defender of workers’ rights among his fellow actors as a union leader. His premature death at 36 from liver cancer shocked all of France, which bid him farewell by honoring his last wish: to be buried wearing the suit of his acclaimed character El Cid.

- Dimensions of the image without frame: 55 x 75 cm / 65 x 85 cm with a magnificent custom metallic frame.

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