H. G. Ibels, Exposition H. G. Ibels from Les Maîtres de L'Affiche, 1898, Original Lithograph

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Henri-gabriel ibels (1867-1936)

exposition h. G. Ibels

year of ideation: 1894
year of printing: 1898
lithograph on wove paper
publisher: … Read more Henri-gabriel ibels (1867-1936)

exposition h. G. Ibels

year of ideation: 1894
year of printing: 1898
lithograph on wove paper
publisher: chaix

signed in the plate, lower right

from the famous collection "les maîtres de l'affiche"
issue # 35, plate #138, october 1898

bottom left:
les maîtres de l'affiche pl. 138
imprimerie chaix
(encres lorilleux & cie.)

bottom right, blind stamp of publisher / edition

excellent condition

literature:
"the complete masters of the poster", edited by stanley appelbaum, dover, new york, 1990, p. 138
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about the collection "les maîtres de l'affiche"

les maîtres de l'affiche (the masters of the poster) is one of the most prestigious and influential art publications in history its 256 color plates have preserved for each succeeding generation a wide-ranging selection of outstanding posters from the turn of the century, when that popular art form had reached its first peak.

the earliest printed posters were chiefly typographic, with relatively few illustrated examples. But in the second half of the nineteenth century, when all types of commercial products, including printed matter, were being aesthetically upgraded, largely thanks to various arts-and-crafts movements, serious artists such as manet began to see new possibilities in the poster medium. It was especially jules chéret (1836-1932) whose unique combination of artistic, technical and entrepreneurial talents was to pave the way for a true poster industry. After chéret opened his own print shop in paris in 1866, his work continued to inspire numerous emulators in europe and america. From 1881 on, his shop operated as a branch of the large chaix firm (imprimerie chaix)

by the 1890s the streets of every great metropolis were enlivened by large, colourful posters.
this chaix publication, les maîtres de l'affiche, was issued as separate numbered sheets measuring 40 x 29 cm. Every month for 60 months, from december 1895 through november 1900, subscribers received a wrapper containing four consecutively numbered poster. On 16 occasions the monthly wrapper also contained a bonus plate, a specially created art lithograph. Jules chéret, artistic director of chaix and father of the modern poster, emerged with the lion's share of the plates, one chéret being included in each monthly issue of four, and seven of the 16 unnumbered bonus plates.

of the 97 artists represented in les maîtres de l'affiche, some were preeminent painters and printmakers at various stages of their careers: toulouse-lautrec, denis, bonnard, vallotton, puvis de chavannes. Others were famous illustrators and cartoonists of the period, still well known to art collectors and bibliophiles. Forain, caran d'ache, ibels, willette, boutet de monvel, léandre. But there were also all those whose names say "poster," the conquering pioneers of the new medium. Chéret himself, mucha, steinlen, the beggarstaffs, grasset, penfield, parrish, bradley, hardy the list could go on and on.
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about the artist

henri-gabriel ibels (1867–1936) was a french illustrator, printmaker, painter and author.

he was born in paris and studied at the académie julian along with artists such as pierre bonnard and édouard vuillard. At the beginning of the term at the académie julian, paul sérusier gathered his friends around, including ibels, and gave them the name nabis. This is a hebrew word for “prophet” and ibels was a member since its 1889 founding. Other members included bonnard, vuillard, félix vallotton, maurice denis, paul sérusier, and émile bernard. Their early works consisted of bright colors and vibrant contour lines. Some of their goals were to reintroduce painting as a decorative art and make it part of everyday life. As his inspiration here, he used labor workers that he ran into at local bistros.

along with painting, ibels mastered the techniques and aesthetics of printmaking and a style suited for lithography for book illustration commissions, sheet-music covers, and advertisements. His participation in the belle epoque color revolution in lithography, for example, assisted in the development of jules chéret's use of the multi-chromatic processes, an art practice that overlapped colors in an attempt to create more depth and shade in print. Inspired by contemporary life, ibels' work consisted of subjects drawn from modern paris such as the cafe, boxing rings, and the circus. The characteristics in subject and technique of simplistic colours and shapes within his work can also be likened to artists such as henri de toulouse-lautrec, adolphe willette, and theophile alexandre steinlen.

ibels collaborated with toulouse-lautrec, with whom he developed a personal relationship and professional camaraderie. He painted various fans and one was similar to the style of toulouse-lautrec who used the theme of clowns in his paintings and lithographs. This resulted in a friendship as they would go to the circus together frequently for hours. This is where he would get his starting points for his drawings and pictures. He developed a style in his profiles of clowns, circus houses, and acrobats. In 1893, they also produced lithographs together for an album titled the café-concert. Toulouse-lautrec would then become the godfather to ibels' son and the two artists would remain friends until his death in 1901.

as a prominent french artist who spoke through his art, henri-gabriel ibels played a significant role in shaping the narrative around the dreyfus affair during the late 19th century.
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important:

. The listing is for the original lithograph.
. The cover of the issue by jules chéret is shown for reference.
this piece has an attribution mark,
i am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
issues arising from misattribution See less