Maitres de l'Affiche

Les Maitres de l’Affiche — Belle Epoque Poster Prints

Les Maitres de l’Affiche (The Masters of the Poster) was a monthly publication issued in Paris between 1895 and 1900 under the editorship of Roger Marx, comprising 256 issues each presenting a reduced-format colour lithographic reproduction of one of the major posters of the Belle Epoque era. The publication was produced by the Imprimerie Chaix under the direction of Jules Cheret — himself the defining figure of the modern poster tradition — and brought together work by the leading poster designers of the period in a form accessible to collectors who could not acquire the large-format originals.

The roster of artists whose work appeared in Les Maitres de l’Affiche encompasses the full range of the Belle Epoque poster tradition. Jules Cheret, whose exuberant lithographic style defined the modern advertising poster, contributed numerous plates to the series. Toulouse-Lautrec’s celebrated posters for the Moulin Rouge, the Divan Japonais and the cabaret world of Montmartre appear alongside the work of Alphonse Mucha, whose art nouveau designs for Sarah Bernhardt and the Salon des Cent established the decorative idiom of the period. Steinlen, Bonnard, Grasset, Ibels and many others contributed to a series that constitutes a comprehensive visual survey of the most dynamic moment in the history of graphic design.

The reduced-format plates of Les Maitres de l’Affiche are colour lithographs of high quality, produced under the supervision of the artists whose work they reproduce and bearing a quality of colour printing that reflects the exceptional standards of the Chaix printing house. Each plate carries the series number and artist attribution, making attribution and identification straightforward for collectors.

Prints from Les Maitres de l’Affiche are collected for their art historical importance as documents of the Belle Epoque poster tradition, for the decorative appeal of their colour lithography, and for their association with some of the most celebrated names in the history of graphic design. They are among the most widely recognised collectables in the antique poster and decorative print market.

Original prints from Les Maitres de l’Affiche represent an exceptional opportunity to acquire period examples of Belle Epoque graphic design at a collector level appropriate to the serious market.