Rene Gruau influenced the graphic style of a whole generation of fashion illustrators. This week his artwork sale at Christie’s smashed all estimates, netting almost £225,000 between the 21 pieces offered.
One of the most collectable graphic artists of the last 50 years, René Gruau designed classic posters for Paris institutions such as the Lido and Moulin Rouge cabarets as well as the Dior fashion house. He created lasting images of a sophisticated France with his distinctive advertising work for Air France, Cinzano and Vichy mineral water, and his stylish contributions to magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Elle and Le Figaro Madame supplement.
M. Gruau, whose posters often echoed both classical Japanese drawings and Toulouse-Lautrec’s sketches of fin de siècle Paris night life, was perhaps best known for creating the marketing images for Miss Dior perfume and for Rouge Baiser lipstick. But in everything he did, he evoked the glamour and style of the world of high fashion.
When France refurbished its identity after the defeat and deprivation of the second world war, two men were crucial to the re- establishment of the nation as global supplier of luxuries. One was the couturier Christian Dior, the other his chief visualiser, artist René Gruau, who died aged 95 in 2004.
Born Renato Zavagli Ricciardelli in Italy on Feb. 4, 1909, Gruau was the son of an Italian count. When René’s mother, Marie Gruau, a French aristocrat, and his father separated when he was three, he moved to Paris with her. Gruau then took his mother’s last name, which is the name he is known by, opposed to his father’s last name and royal connection. He borrowed his mother’s name, contracted to “G” for a signature, surmounted by a star based on an ink-splash (later he flaunted the symbol on his Rolls-Royce); he also adopted and adapted outdated graphic styles.
At 14, Gruau began to support his mother, impoverished by divorce, and himself by selling drawings to the Milanese fashion journal Lidel. He worked as he could and contributed to the concealment of Jewish refugees.
This week’s René Gruau artwork sale at Christie’s smashed all estimates, netting almost £225,000 between the 21 pieces offered. Despite pieces having an average estimate of around £3,000, they fetched more than £10,000 each on average - with particular highlights including Winter Sun,£17,500; The Straw Hat, £21,250; and The Black Glove, £16, 250. The 20th Century Decorative Art & Design sale concluded with the success of the fine collection of René Gruau fashion illustrations, easily quadrupling its low estimate thanks to exceptional provenance and freshness to the market. Joy McCall, head of the 20th Century decorative art & design department at Christie’s London, said: “Bidding was fierce in the room, on the phone and online, mostly from European collectors and trade.“
Rene Gruau’s world-famous fashion illustrations epitomise the glamour and sophistication of Fifties couture. But what makes his work so special? “René Gruau depicts timeless ideal women, who are both elegant and beautiful - and who will resonate with the contemporary passion for mid-century fashion,” according to Joy McCall. “His style is distinctive and easily recognisable. Whilst drawing inspiration from Japanese woodcuts and late 19th Century art and posters, Gruau remains highly original. He selected props for his women which enhanced their glamour and sensuality, as well as evoking a sense of an underlying narrative. In many ways he can be viewed as a father of modern fashion advertising.”