French artposters

A rising artform in great numbers

From July 10th until October 9th 2005, the Dutch Affichemuseum in Hoorn behibited French "collection.php"> artistsposter printed in lithography. The posters are part of the collection of Caspar Wechgelaer and Els Verhoog. After twenty years of collecting they own over a thousand different copies. A nice and wide selection will be shown.

At a time when most posters in Europe were already produced in 4-colour offset, several Parisian printers and gallery-owners still worked with lithography . This way, beautiful posters were produced which now have become top range collector's items. It is still too early to assess the historical value of these posters, but many of them are truly stunning, produced in beautiful non-fading colours and full of character. World-wide traders and art-lovers have discovered these posters which has lead to a huge increase in prices. Over the past deccenium the value of some posters has increased tenfold and prices are still going up. Time to take a closer look at this phenomenon.

History

Although lithography is originally a German invention it reached its fullest potential in France. The French not only recognised the commercial use of lithography, but also saw it as a medium for artistic printing. Daumier, Chéret, Lautrec, Bonnard and many other artists discovered the possibilities of lithography. During the fin-de-siècle of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. In Paris alone, at least 50 lithographic printing workshops were established, employing thousands of craftsmen. In addition to the famous large posters, small prints were produced as well. The most famous printers were Chaix, Ancourt and Verneau. The First World War however put an end to this. During the interbellum period the recession continued and the Second World War meant the final blow for the industry. However, after 1945 a revival began that didn't end until half a century later. This era, the years between 1945 and 1995, is generally considered the Golden Age of the French exhibitionposter: l’ Affiche de Peintres Lithographiée.

Mourlot

One of the few printers that survived both World Wars and other crises was Imprimerie Mourlot, established in 1852 and brought to success byJules Mourlot at the beginning of the twentieth century. Jules Mourlot turned the business into a printshop where luxurious and colourful prints were produced. Jules Mourlot had nine children. Three of his sons, Georges, Maurice and Fernand, continued the business. Fernand Mourlot had graduated from art-school and thus was acquainted with several artists from the Ecole de Paris who were interested in creating lithography but lacked knowledge and money to do so. He invited them to the studio and this marked the beginning of years of coöperation between Fernand Mourlot, later on his son Jacques and artists like Chagall, Picasso , Matisse ,Gris Braque , Léger Miro and dozens of other famous names.

The results of this coöperation were so astonishing that more and more gallery-owners chose to have their posters printed by Mourlot. For many years Mourlot had worked for museums only, but now a stream of new customers presented itself. This resulted in a huge production of different posters. The fact that there is no clear overview of all the posters that were printed, makes collecting very exciting. After all this time, copies are still discovered that even the most fanatic collectors never saw before! Reference books exist for some of the works of the best-known artists, for example the 'Czwiklitzer' for Picasso, the 'Sorlier' for Chagall and the 'Corredor-Mattheos' for Miró. But we can only estimate the total production of posters by all the different printers. For instance, just Mourlot produced thousands of different posters in the last century. For several editors Mourlot has also reproduced many posters on a smaller size. Some as separate posters, some in bookform.

There came a time Mourlot's fame had reached such heights that the words 'Imprimée par Mourlot' sufficed to guarantee the best quality and increasing prices. In Paris, they even named a square after him! And when, in 1952, Mourlot celebrated its 100 year anniversary, the Parisian gallery Kléber organised a special exhibition with a selection of their posters. For this anniversary Matisse created a poster which is now extremely popular amongst collectors. Last winter a very moderate copy wat sold at a Parisian fair for 950 euro! A year later in the winter of ‘53/’54 this exhibition was also shown, with great success, in the Communitymuseum in Arnhem (Holland).

Worth mentioning is the fact that Mourlot - although the biggest, most famous and most important lithographer - wasn't the only one that printed wonderful posters during the second half of the last century. More lithographers deserve an accolade in this article. For example Clot, Bramsen et Georges, Desjobert and Arte have printed an impressive amount of beautiful posters. Not even mentioned Litho Pons, Les Presses Artistiques, Ballon, René Guillard, Détruit, Bellini and other printers yet.

For several years Mourlot operated a studio in the USA as well. In 1967, Jacques Mourlot dismantled two presses and shipped them to New York. There, he rebuilt them. This lasted until 1972, when everything was packed into crates again and sent back to Paris. Anyone who knows how big and heavy these presses are, will understand that this was a really big adventure! Among collectors these American Mourlots are very sought-after.

It will not come as a surprise that this traditional and expensive method of lithographic printing had to come to an end. During the last two decades of the twentieth century more and more gallery-owners and museum-directors switched to 4-colour offset for financial reasons. This, and the fact that it became increasingly difficult to find good craftsmen, meant the end for many lithographic printers. The generation of artisans (chromistes, copistes and essayeurs) that had made the studios successful retired and there were no successors. Most of the studios mentioned above no longer exist. They closed down, were sold (this happened to Mourlot) or started something new. Nowadays, only a few studios can make a living out of printing for and with individual artists. They create beautiful art, but Affiches de Peintres Lithographiées are no longer produced.

Different kinds of posters

To gain a clear understanding of the subject matter it is essential to differentiate between the varieties of posters that were produced. The most common ones are lithographically printed posters (category 1) which depict an existing piece of art, for example an oil-painting. In this case the chromatic dispersion and the manufacturing of the printing forms was done via reprography. These posters are easy to identify as the repro camera reproduces the texture of the paint perfectly. Category 2 consists of posters for which the preliminary work has been done by hand and eye through copistes and chromistes. Therefore, extra craftsmanship and talent were needed. The names of the craftsmen sometimes were printed in the margins of the posters. Connoisseurs prefer this as it says a lot about the quality. Category 3 consists of posters that are based on an existing lithography With these posters it is likely that the artist has contributed to the poster himself, obviously with the help of the forementioned craftsmen. Artists were able to design lithography, but didn't have a clue about the technical processes involved later on. The last and fourth category consists of posters for which a new work of art, often a lithograph, was created especially. These are the most sought-after and therefore most expensive posters. Most of the time the artist made these almost entirely by himself and consequently they often are relatively simple in their lay-out.

Sometimes posters from the last two categories were printed on a better quality paper, and then numbered and signed by the artist. It could also happen that a stack of épreuves d´artisite was printed, or, when there was ink left, a pile of hors commerce for yet to be determined commercial uses. In short, of one and the same poster many versions can be found. It is even possible that of the same poster, one can find different sizes in paper and image.

What do they cost?

The value of posters may vary from 50 to 5000 euro. Several different factors are important. A poster from category 4 (see the description above) is more expensive than one from category 1. The size of the poster is also an important factor. If two posters have the same overall quality, the bigger one tends to be more valuable. Also, the more famous the artist and the studio, the more expensive the poster. Other deciding elements are whether the artist was still alive when the poster was produced and if there is a signature printed on. If the names of famous artisans are mentioned in the margins of the image, this also increases the value. For example at Mourlot, Picasso always worked with Henri Deschamps, whilst Chagall always collaborated with Charles Sorlier. If the names of these maître-artisans are printed on the posters, this is a guarantee for quality and originality.

Of major importance is the condition of a poster. If a poster is in mint condition it is obviously more valuable than if it is blemished. However, small stains, creases, pinholes, a little tear in the margin or a curled corner are not the end of the world. After all, the posters were meant to be exposed on walls and windows during exhibitions. For many collectors, proof that the poster was exposed somewhere is actually a plus. It means it has had a previous existence. Matters that do decrease the value of a poster are traces of adhesive tape, damage to the image or damage as a result of humidity, storage or shipping. All of these can make a poster a lot less interesting or even worthless. Trying to fix these blemishes yourself won't help. Restoring damaged paper is a craft and you will probably only make matters worse.

The quantity of the print run is also an important element where the value of a poster is concerned. The rule that the value increases when the quantity is low is true, but even when you know how many copies were produced, you never know how many copies are actually still left. Most posters were printed in quantities varying from one hundred to a several thousand copies. A poster of which it is known that only 1000 copies were printed but 800 are still left may be less valuable than a poster of which 3000 copies were printed but only 300 copies did survive. It is therefore not always the produced quantity that determines the value, but also the estimated number of copies still in circulation. Posters from the fifties, sixties and seventies are generally speaking also more expensive then those from later years.

Although the prices of Affiches de Peintres have increased considerably over the last few years and will probably keep doing so for years to come, it is especially the increase in terms of percentage that makes it impressive. A poster for which ten years ago you had to pay 50 French francs will now be worth 75 euro. Of course this still isn't a lot of money. But that's what makes these posters such great buys. For relatively little money you can buy a few of them and organise an exhibition in your own home!

Watch out!

Needless to say, forgeries of posters are on the market. That is what happens when an artform suddenly becomes popular. A few years ago some reprints in 4-colour offset suddenly became available. They were produced in Italy, and to the connoisseur they were easily identifiable. The offset-screendots were clearly visible. Some posters however, are illegally reprinted in lithography. This is usually done by fellow-printers who don't want to miss out. One always has to be extra careful when dealing with work by famous artists from the Ecole de Paris, for example Matisse, Chagall, Miró and Picasso.

The fact that some old posters were later reprinted can also come as a surprise to the unsuspecting buyer. In this case they are legally reprinted as lithographs. For example, some posters from the Parisian topgallery Maeght used to be printed by Mourlot. However, in 1964 Maeght established its own studio, Arte. With the help of modern technology, the most beautiful lithographic printwork is produced there. Arte however has reprinted several posters of which Maeght still owned the copy-rights. So it is possible to find two editions of the same poster: the original edition from before 1964, printed by Mourlot, and the new edition reprinted in large numbers by Arte. This information can be found on the poster and connoisseurs know about this. But when you just start collecting, these things can be tricky. If you are under the impression that you're buying the early Mourlot-edition, which is worth lets say about 300 euro, it might very well be an Arte edition which should cost much less and is still available at the gallery in the Rue du Bac. Once you have framed the poster and hung it on the wall the neighbours won't notice it, but there definitely is a difference.

A more serious problem are posters with the text cut off. What you see left is a beautiful lithography, sometimes even numbered and signed later on by a swindler. Nicely framed it suddenly becomes a very expensive ‘real' Picasso. What you don't know won't hurt you, and also this time the neighbours will be very impressed, but obviously this is not the way things should be.

Where to find them?

Regrettably, it becomes harder and harder to discover good posters. About twenty years ago you could find them all over Paris and France. They were not considered valuable at the time, and treated as such. As a result, many posters were simply destroyed. Nowadays, it's very difficult to find an interesting poster which is not too damaged. Because there are many foreign collectors, only a few posters are left and therefore prices have skyrocketed. Nowadays, most traders and gallery-owners know what the posters are worth. But if you are lucky you may find a brocanteur or antiquarian who hasn't woken up yet, or who just wants to get rid of these huge and vulnerable objects.

Tips and a misunderstanding

How does one recognize an Affiche de Peintres? This article is too short to give an all-embracing answer. Here are some pointers, though. First and foremost, there shouldn't be a visible screen in the artwork. This is true for 999 out of every 1000 posters. Exceptions to this rule are for instance posters where an almost invisible autotypie was made of the original and printed on lithographic in a slightly darker shade so the chromistes were able to differentiate the fields in which they had to apply various colours more easily.

Another pointer is the fact that on 999 out of every 1000 posters the name of the printer is printed. If you can find the name of one of the printshops mentioned in this article at the bottom of a poster, you can be rather sure you're looking at the real thing. Sadly, here are some exceptions as well! Fernand Mourlot viz would sometimes watermark his more expensive kinds of paper and in those cases he usually didn't print the name of his studio on the poster as well. Finally, traces of real use can also be a clue to your poster being an original.

A widespread misunderstanding is the idea that litho’s are always printed form stone. Obviously in the early days this used to be the case, and nowadays there are still studio’s and artists that only work with stone, but they are a minority. From the beginning of the last century, lithographs were also printed from zinc and later on aluminium plates. These were subjected to a chemical treatment which gave them the same characteristics as the Solnhofer stones that were introduced by Aloïs Senefelder in the late eighteenth century.The fact that metal plates more and more replaced the awkward, heavy and expensive stones is illustrated by the story that during the fifties, Mourlot would sometimes send a pile of plates to Picasso, who would then use the plates and send the whole lot back to Paris afterwards. Only when the printing process would start he showed up at the studio in order to create something beautiful out of them, usually with the help of Henri Deschamps. Obviously, this has nothing to do with the many many original lithographs Picasso created directly on to real printingstones at Mourlot. Many artists also worked on paper that was specially treated. With this technique they could transfer their design directly onto stone or plate. This way, the artist could work in his own studio and no longer had to deal with the problem of mirror images.

Posters with a soul

Finally, an answer to the question why these posters have become so desirable. Firstly, it is important that they are no longer produced. The era of the Affiche de Peintres lies behind us. It is also the increasing value of the posters that makes them very attractive to serious collectors and even investors, but this is not the deciding factor for everybody. There is more.

Every Affiche de Peintres was produced as an accompaniment to an exhibition. Usually this exhibition took place in Paris, at a well-known gallery, with lots of wine, Gauloises, discussions and gossip. The poster then was judged by the quality of the print, the typography, and the combination of these two. Visitors considered the Affiche de Peintres as a serious piece of art and this is why they have a special quality, more so than posters that just roll of high-tech 4-colour offset-machines and of where the image is built up out of just a poor yellow, blue, red and black.

Affiches de Peintres were printed on large, whirring and sighing machines of at least a hundred years old. Huge machines which were operated by two or maybe three artisans, located in large studios. Working late, these temples would be lit up by a few bright spotlights, and the machines were driven by flapping leather belts and large wooden pulleys underneith the dark ceiling. Each colour required a separate stone or plate and if a poster consists of six colours, so it had to go through the press six times. It was built up colour by colour, and was fed through the press and taken out of the machine manually. This way a poster grew at the slow speed of five to ten seconds per sheet per printing until it was done. After each colour was added, the poster was scrutinised and commented on. Sometimes the inking or the location was altered. All this makes an Affiche de Peintres not just a reproduction, but a sensitive, artistic rendering of an original piece of art. During the printing process, colour after colour, a second soul grew into it.

Once you see and recognise this, you're hooked. Just a little time-travelling and you can see the poster hanging on the wall of some café, in the foyer of a theatre or the lobby of a museum. Or maybe in the window of an art-shop in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. And then, many years later, it hangs on your wall. That's when you realise you own a unique lithograph: an Affiche de Peintres from the world of the Ecole de Paris!