Paul Colin

Paul Colin was a prolific master of Art Deco poster illustration. In his lifetime, Colin produced book designs, theater sets, and costume designs in addition to over 1,900 posters. As a teenager, Colin apprenticed at a printing house before enrolling at L’École des Beaux-Arts, and he would later work in the company of Eugene Vallin. He was commended for his masterful integration of organic and figural subjects with geometric forms. His style, which was influenced by both Cubism and Surrealism, frequently employed bold shapes, striking colors, caricature, and highly stylized forms. Some of his best-known illustrations were made for jazz-age music and theater, as in his iconic image for La Revue Negre (1925) of dancer, singer, and actress Josephine Baker—his companion, muse, and a frequent subject in his work.