Purism to Art Deco: Constructive Tendencies in
Interwar Paris

Thorvald Hellesen (Norwegian, 1888–1937)
Untitled (25), c. 1920
Gouache on paper, 16 1/2 x 12 7/8” (41.9 x 32.7 cm)

Following last week’s newsletter on Le Corbusier, today we feature constructive tendencies in interwar Paris including graphic works by Fernand Léger; Léger’s students and associates (Franciska Clausen and Thorvald Hellesen); artists associated with Léonce Rosenberg’s Galerie L’Effort Moderne (Auguste Herbin); and posters by Francis Bernard, A.M. Cassandre, and Charles Loupot.

Thorvald Hellesen (Norwegian, 1888–1937)
Exhibition invitation: Hellesen Maleri Udstelling (painting exhibition), Tivoli, [Kristiania] (25 October–10 November [1919]), c. 1919
Lithograph, 6 1/8 x 7 7/8” (15.6 cm x 20)

Franciska Clausen (Danish, 1899–1986)
Untitled, 1929
Gouache, cut-and-pasted painted paper, ink, and pencil on paper,
12 1/2 × 9 1/2” (31.8 × 24.1 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now The Museum of Modern Art, New York (420.2018)

Fernand Léger (French, 1881–1955)
Periodical covers: Broom
Left to right: vol. 1, no. 3 (January 1922); vol. 2, no. 4 (July 1922)
Both: Letterpress, 13 x 9 1/4” (33 x 23.5 cm)

Auguste Herbin (French, 1882–1960)
Poster: Bal de la Grande Ourse (The Big Dipper Costume Ball,
organized by The Union of Russian Artists in Paris),
Salle Bullier, Paris (May 8, 1925), 1925
Lithograph, 48 1/8 x 30” (122.6 x 76.2 cm)

Auguste Herbin (French, 1882–1960)
Galerie L’Effort Moderne (Léonce Rosenberg), Paris, c. 1918
Left (maquette): gouache on paper mounted on wood, 10 1/8 x 1 3/4”
(25.7 x 4.4 cm); right (letterhead): ink (possibly pochoir), 11 1/4 x 8 7/8”
(28.6 x 22.5 cm), folded

Francis Bernard (French, 1900–1979)
Maquette: Croisieres, Blue Star Line, 1936
Gouache on paper mounted on board, 17 1/2 x 10 3/4” (44.4 x 27.3 cm)

Charles Loupot (French, 1892–1962)
Poster: Twining, 1930
Lithograph on paper, 63 x 48 1/2” (160 x 120 cm)

A. M. Cassandre (French, born in Kharkiv, Russian Empire. 1901–1968)
Poster: Van Nelle Pakjes Koffie, 1931
Lithograph, 61 3/4 x 44 1/2” (157 x 118 cm)

A. M. Cassandre (French, born in Kharkiv, Russian Empire. 1901–1968)
Maquette: Bucheron, 1934
Gouache on paper, 47 1/4 x 63” (120 x 160 cm)

A. M. Cassandre (French, born in Kharkiv, Russian Empire. 1901–1968)
Poster: Prunier, 1934
Lithograph, 39 3/8 x 59 1/16" (100 x 150 cm)

A. M. Cassandre (French, born in Kharkiv, Russian Empire. 1901–1968)
Poster: Restaurez-vous au wagon-bar (Refresh yourself in the wagon-bar), 1932
Lithograph, 40 5/8 x 25 1/2" (103.2 x 64.8 cm)

May 31, 2023