Code: 10149
Dimensions:
RENÉ VINCENT Bordeaux 1879 – 1936 Paris
Design for a Poster: Salmson La Nouvelle 10 HP Les Cyclecars.
Watercolor & gouache over pencil. Inscribed lower left in pencil: Agente
Vincent’s father was the novelist Charles Vincent, and his brother, Henri Vincent-Anglade was a portrait painter. While a student at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he designed book illustrations. Shortly after the end of the First World War, Vincent began to design posters. His designs proved an immediate success, and they demonstrate a sparkling sense for Art Deco, the style that became the modern artistic and industrial design par excellence.
Among his clients was Bugatti, already a legendary car manufacturer, as well as Citroen, Ford, Motocycles Cottereau, Salmson, Michelin, the tire makers and Shell Oil. Apparently, he acquired one of the first French driver’s licenses and as a passionate car owner, he added a garage to his home.
Our maquette for the poster for the Salmson10 HP of 1920 shows an elegantly dressed young woman standing to the left of the car, apparently before the addition of the details of her garments and the chassis and grille of the car. Vincent eventually shortened the text below to “10HP” and changed the hood ornament and logo in the published design.
Vincent’s designs for automobile posters are among his most elegant and animated designs. They reflect the automobile as a symbol of luxury and modern life.
Sheet: 13 7/8 x 10 5/16 inches 352 x 263 mm
