Leonetto Cappiello - Bal de la Couture Parisienne - 1970s

Magnificent vintage advertising poster designed by the renowned master of modern billboard art, Leonetto Cappiello. The work was created to promote the prestigious "Bal de la Couture Parisienne" (the Ball of Parisian Haute Fashion), held on Friday, February 15, 1924 at the historic Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Organized under the high patronage of the French Ministry of Commerce and Labour, the event included a rich lottery with as prizes no fewer than 50 dresses and coats from the most renowned Parisian fashion houses of the time. The illustration perfectly captures the essence of the Parisian society of the Roaring Twenties. In the center of the scene stands a splendid red-haired female figure, wrapped in scarlet feathers and an elegant dress, surrounded by sophisticated figures in emerging, perfect Art Deco style. The vivid colors, the dynamism of the lines, and the mastery of composition testify to why Cappiello is still regarded as the "father of modern advertising." At the bottom left is clearly visible the stamp/notation of the print workshop of the era: "Les Nouvelles Affiches Cappiello - Atelier d'Art Devambez, Paris". The work also bears the artist's signature stamped on the plate in the lower right corner with the date "1924".