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TITLE:
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Ambassadeurs: Aristide Bruant
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WORK DATE:
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1892
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CATEGORY:
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Prints and Multiples
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MATERIALS:
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Lithograph. Keystone printed olive-green, color stones in orange, red, blue and black. On one sheet of wove paper. Printed by Ancourt. Commissioned by the Ambassadeurs, M. Ducarre. Text by the artist
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EDITION/SET OF:
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Size of edition not known (c.1000-3000)
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MARKINGS:
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Ambassadeurs/aristide/Bruant/dans/son cabaret, artist’s signature lower left, printer’s name and address in left margin.
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SIZE:
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h: 52.9 x w: 36.6 in / h: 134.4 x w: 93 cm
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STYLE:
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Post-Impressionism
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PRICE*:
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Contact Gallery for Price
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DESCRIPTION:
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Bruant was one of the first to be interested in Lautrec’s work and he commissioned him to design posters to promote his performances. Bruant was a successful entertainer known for abusing his audiences with insults and anti-establishment lyrics. He performed at his cabaret Le Mirliton formerly Le Chat Noir. Lautrec made four posters of Bruant.
On June 3, 1892 Bruant moved his performances from Montmartre to the center of Paris, having his première in the Ambassadeurs café concert on the Champs Elysées. Against the wishes of the manager, Pierre Ducarre, Bruant asked Lautrec to design the poster. Ducarre refused to pay for the work, but Bruant was adamant that he would not perform unless the poster was used – featured on stage and in the streets. The poster created such a stir the very evening it was displayed that Bruant insisted that it be used in an additional poster for Eldorado, a smart advertising tool that strengthened his image. In Ambassadeurs Lautrec depicts Bruant with few recognizable elements - his imposing figure, wearing his signature wide-brimmed hat and red scarf, in his black overcoat and carrying a stick. Hovering over his left shoulder is a menacing figure in silhouette, à la japonaise, of a man in a workman’s cap. It is an impending image of the working class who frequented the seedy dance halls and café concerts as well as serving as a symbol of the weaken divisions of urban and rural life. Lautrec’s posters of the celebrated singer made Bruant one of the most recognizable figures in French history in addition, as with his other posters, they were modern images of the time.
Condition: An extraordinary, fine, fresh impression of what has become this very uncommon print. The color extremely strong and vibrant. The full sheet in excellent condition.
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LITERATURE:
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Wittrock P4
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