Home > Eugène Grasset

Born Eugène Samuel Grasset in Lausanne, Switzerland, his birth year is sometimes stated as 1841. He was raised in an artistic environment as the son of an cabinet designer/maker and sculptor. He studied drawing under Francois-Louis David Bocion (1828-1890) and in 1861 went to Zurich to study architecture. After compeleting his education, he visited Egypt, an experience that would later be refelected in a number of his poster designs. He became an admirer of Japanese art which too influenced some of his creative designs. Between 1869 and 1870, Grasset worked as a painter and sculptor in Lausanne but moved to Paris in 1871 where he designed furniture fabrics and tapestries as well as ceramics and jewelry. His fine art decorative pieces were crafted from ivory, gold and other precious materials in unique combinations and his creations are considered a cornerstone of Art Nouveau motifs and patterns.

In 1877 Eugène Grasset turned to graphic design, producing income-generating products such as postcards and eventually postage stamps for both France and Switzerland. However, it was Japanese art which too influenced some of his creative designs. Between 1869 and 1870, Grasset worked as a painter and sculptor in Lausanne but moved to Paris in 1871 where he designed furniture fabrics and tapestries as well as ceramics and jewelry. His fine art decorative pieces were crafted from ivory, gold and other precious materials in unique combinations and his creations are considered a cornerstone of Art Nouveau motifs and patterns.

In 1877 Eugène Grasset turned to graphic design, producing income-generating products such as postcards and eventually postage stamps for both France and Switzerland. However, it was poster art that quickly became his forté. Some of his works became part of the Maîtres de l'Affiche including his lithograph, "Jeanne d'Arc Sarah Bernhardt." In 1890, he designed the "Semeuse" logo used by the dictionary publishers, Éditions Larousse .

With the growing popularity of French posters in the United States, Grasset was soon contacted by several American companies. In the 1880s, he did his first American commission and more success led to his cover design for the 1892 Christmas issue of Harper's Magazine. In 1894 Grasset created "The Wooly Horse" and "The Sun of Austerlitz" for The Century MagazineThe Century Magazine was first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City as a successor to Scribner's Monthly Magazine. It ceased publication in 1930. Century Magazine, The. to help advertise their serialized story on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. The "Wooly Horse" image proved so popular that Louis Comfort TiffanyLouis Comfort Tiffany ( February 18, 1848 January 17, 1933) was an American artist most famous for his Art Nouveau pieces in stained glass. He also painted, and designed jewellery and furniture. Louis was born on February 18 1848, the son of Charles Lewis recreated it in stained glass. Grasset's work for U.S. institutions helped pave the way for Art Nouveau to dominate American art.

At the end of the 19th century, Grasset was hired to teach design at École Guérin and École Estienne in Paris. Among his students were Maurice Pillard Verneuil , Augusto Giacometti , Paul Berthon and Otto Ernst Schmidt . At the Universal Exhibition of 1900The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, to celebrate the achivements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next. More than 50 million people attended the exhibition (a world record at the time), ye in Paris, the G. Peignot et Fils typefoundry, introduced the "Grasset" typefaceIn typography, a typeface is a co-ordinated set of character designs, which usually comprises an alphabet of letters, a set of numerals and a set of punctuation marks. There are also typefaces of Ideograms and symbols (e. mathematical or map making) In it, an Italic design Eugène Grasset created in 1898 for use on some of his posters.

Eugène Grasset died in 1917 in Sceaux in the Hauts-de-SeineHauts-de-Seine Details Information Number92 Region Ile-de-France Prefecture Nanterre Subprefecture Antony Boulogne-Billancourt Population Total 1999 Density Ranked 6th 1,428,881 8,119 /km² Area 176 km² Arrondissements 3 Cantons 45 Communes 36 President of départementThe departements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties and are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas regions''. They are subdivided into 342 arrondissements''. Departements are also found i southwest of Paris.