George Barbier (1882-1932) Original Art Deco Prints

George Barbier was one of the great French illustrators of the early 20th century. He was 29 years old when he mounted his first exhibition in 1911 and was subsequently swept to the forefront of his profession with commissions to design theatre and ballet costumes and to illustrate books. For the next 20 years Barbier led a group from the School of Fine Arts who were nicknamed by Vogue “The Knights of the Bracelet”—a tribute to their fashionable and flamboyant mannerisms and style of dress. During his career Barbier also turned his hand to jewellery, glass and wallpaper design, wrote essays and many articles for the prestigious Gazette du bon ton. In the mid 1920s he worked with Erté to design sets and costumes for the Folies Bergère and in 1929 he  achieved mainstream popularity through his regular appearances in L’Illustration and la Vie Parisienne magazines. Barbier died in 1932 at the very pinnacle of his success.

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