L’Affichomania: The Passion for French Posters
The Richard H. Driehaus Museum, Chicago February 2017 — January 2018
Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio June 8 — September 15, 2019
Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach, Florida October 19, 2019 — January 12, 2020
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin March 7 — May 31, 2020
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama August 4, 2020 — January 3, 2021
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, Tennessee February 27 — May 23, 2021
Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Provo, Utah September 3, 2021 — February 19, 2022
Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, Washington June 17 — August 14, 2022
Celebrating the inexhaustible energy of fin-de-siècle Paris, L’Affichomania: The Passion for French Posters features lithographs by five grand masters of the medium: Jules Chéret, the father of the modern poster; Eugène Grasset, who explored feminine beauty in rich, medieval settings; Alphonse Mucha, known for depicting sensuous women and the whiplash curves of their tresses; Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen, creator of some of the best-loved images of the era; and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who pointed the way to modernism.
These pioneering artists defined a never-before-seen and never forgotten art form: the color poster. L’Affichomania explores the achievements of these artists in concert with the poster’s role in French society, its effect on the life of the Parisian street, the rise of advertising, the entertainment district of Montmartre, and changing representations of women.
Unlike typical white box galleries used for exhibitions, those in the Driehaus Museum are part of a historic house that has been painstakingly restored to its original Gilded Age glory. I worked with designers to carefully situate the works of art within historic interiors while following strict preservation guidelines. I also worked with the exhibition team to design a Parisian kiosk based upon historic prototypes, and we used this to orient the visitor.
L’Affichomania: The Passion for French Posters
Exhibition Catalogue
The full-color catalogue includes more than 70 images featuring posters by five grand masters of the medium: Jules Chéret, Eugène Grasset, Alphonse Mucha, Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Published for The Richard H. Driehaus Museum by The Monacelli Press with a preface by the collector, Richard H. Driehaus and an essay, entitled “’The Distinctive Art of Our Time’: The Belle Êpoque Poster” by curator Jeannine Falino. Distributed by The University of Chicago Press. Softcover • 128 pages •9 x 12 in.
Lectures & Workshops
Art on the Boulevard: The Belle Epoque Poster, Driehaus Museum; Chicago History Museum, April 2017; Taft Museum of Art, June 2019; Vero Beach Museum, October 25, 2019