Design for a Pendant

Eugène Grasset prints bring the flowing lines, medieval romance and flat, glowing colour of early Art Nouveau into your home. Grasset was a Swiss-born designer working in Paris, a pioneer of the poster and of modern decorative art, and an influential teacher whose pupils included Verneuil and Visconti. Our collection of fine art prints covers his posters, decorative calendar months, book illustrations and designs.

About Eugène Grasset

Eugène Samuel Grasset was born in Lausanne on 25 May 1845, the son of a cabinetmaker and sculptor who taught him to carve as a boy. He studied drawing with François Bocion and from 1861 architecture in Zürich, then travelled to Egypt, an experience that later fed into his poster designs. He also became an admirer of Japanese art.

After working as a theatre painter and sculptor in Lausanne, where he met the architect Viollet-le-Duc, whose ideas on the Middle Ages and on the link between form, function and material shaped his work, he moved to Paris in 1871. There he designed furniture, wallpapers, fabrics, ceramics and jewellery, and from 1877 turned to graphic design: postcards, stamps for France and Switzerland, and above all posters. In 1890 he designed the famous "sower" emblem for the Larousse dictionaries, and his 1892 Christmas cover for Harper's Magazine brought him American fame.

He taught design at the École Guérin from 1890 to 1903 and later at other Paris schools, publishing a study of plants in ornament in 1896. His pupils included Maurice Pillard Verneuil, Eliseu Visconti, Paul Berthon, Augusto Giacometti and Mathurin Méheut, and the Grasset typeface was cut from his designs. He died at Sceaux, near Paris, on 23 October 1917.

Style and Subjects

Grasset's posters combine the bold outlines and flat colour of Japanese prints with the romance of medieval art. His women are tall, graceful and serious, framed by flowers and decorative borders, with the lettering built into the design.

His decorative work is based on careful study of plants and natural forms, simplified into ornament, an approach he passed on to a generation of Art Nouveau designers.

Famous Works

• Fêtes de Paris gala poster (1886). An early poster for a gala at the Paris Opéra.
• Encre L. Marquet (1892), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. An advertising poster for ink.
• Exposition Internationale de Madrid (1893). A poster for the Madrid international exhibition.
• Jules Massenet's Werther (1893). A poster for the opera's premiere.
• Le Printemps (1894), Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. A decorative image of spring.
• Salon des Cent. A celebrated poster for the Salon des Cent exhibitions.
• Calendar months (Août, Novembre, Décembre) (1896–98). Decorative plates of women through the year.

Decorating with Grasset Prints

Grasset's posters and calendar months suit Art Nouveau, vintage and eclectic interiors. A set of months, like Février and Août, makes a lovely seasonal gallery wall in a hallway, dining room or kitchen.

His opera and exhibition posters, such as Werther or Die Walküre, are striking in a music room, study or living room.

FAQ

Who was Eugène Grasset?

Eugène Grasset (1845–1917) was a Swiss decorative artist working in Paris, considered a pioneer of Art Nouveau design and of the illustrated poster.

What did Eugène Grasset design?

Posters, book covers, stamps, furniture, wallpaper, fabrics, ceramics, jewellery, the Larousse "sower" emblem and a typeface named after him.

Who did Grasset teach?

At the École Guérin and other Paris schools he taught Maurice Pillard Verneuil, Eliseu Visconti, Paul Berthon, Augusto Giacometti and Mathurin Méheut, among others.

Where can I see Grasset's work?

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam hold his posters and designs.

Related Artists

• Maurice Pillard Verneuil: his pupil and collaborator
• Eliseu Visconti: Brazilian painter who studied with him
• Paul Berthon: poster designer and his pupil
• Louis Rhead: American poster artist strongly influenced by him
• Alphonse Mucha: fellow Art Nouveau poster master