Cassandre’s “Dubonnet” could also be retitled “Going, Going, Gone!” Born Adolphe Mouron Cassandre (1901 – 1968), the artist revamped advertising with this poster, the first of its kind to be seen from fast-moving vehicles, viewable in rapid succession to form a complete idea. An extremely popular aperitif wine, Dubonnet was concocted by French wine seller Joseph Dubonnet in 1846 for his friends and family. The wine gained popularity, becoming the French Foreign Legion’s favorite beverage. As consumers return to classic cocktails, Dubonnet is enjoying a newfound popularity.
Groundbreaking French artist Cassandre (1901 – 1968) revitalized poster design and its psychological impact with ads intended to be seen from fast-moving vehicles. Born Adolphe Mouron Cassandre, he conceptualized a succession of posters that could be rapidly viewed to form a complete idea. He believed that an ad’s words and images must instantly evoke strong emotions and mental associations. Inspired by Cubism, his posters were very geometric and mathematically structured. Cassandre innovated several fonts, and always started his posters by first painting the text. A prolific artist, Cassandre also designed covers for Harper’s Bazaar as well as the Yves Saint Laurent logo.
Pulled one color at a time from separate plates, this lithograph has been sequentially numbered in pencil in the lower left border by the publishers curator.