Carl ‘Eric’ Erickson and Gerd Grimm
GRAY M.C.A leading specialists in Fashion Illustration are holding a selling exhibition of original fashion illustrations from Post War 1940s through to the 1970s from Thursday 11th – Tuesday 16th September 2014 at Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street, St James’s, London.
Coinciding with London Fashion Week SS15, the exhibition will include more than 40 original works by some of the leading illustrators of the time from Britain, Europe and America including René Bouché, René Gruau & Carl ‘Eric’ Erickson for publications including British & American Vogue, Harpers & Queen, The Sunday Times, Frau im Spiegel (Germany) & Jardin des Modes (France) as well as advertising work for L’Oreal and other famous names in Haute Couture such as Nina Ricci. There will also be a
selection of original designs by designers including Dior, Barbara Hulanicki of BIBA & Zandra Rhodes. Prices will range from £300 – £10,000.
As Connie Gray of Gray M.C.A explained: “For too long fashion illustrators & their illustrations have been seen as a secondary art form, no matter how beautifully executed the image. More often than not, fashion illustrators were more widely known for their advertising work than they were for their work as highly skilled fashion illustrators. Though their style was familiar to the reader & their names published internationally alongside their illustrations, they have never been recognized as true artists. It was almost a secret world in which only those working in the industry knew & admired each other.”
She continued: “Over the years, each illustrator developed their own personnel style, often using wit & charm to distinguish themselves from their competitors. Almost all were products of the most respected art schools of the time & to be a truly great illustrator, they needed to understand not only the life form but also the process of designing, cutting & finishing a garment. The fall of the fabric, the cut of the cloth – the ability to translate what they saw into a work of art that would sell a thousand frocks!Tragically, few original fashion illustrations survive today. With the need for speed in production & printing, illustrations were rarely kept. Many were damaged in the printing process & then thrown away, considered worthless once the image was reproduced to print. Those that have survived have become internationally collectable as original & historical art works that truly caught the elegance, attitude and style or the time.”
The 1940s & 1950s saw the heyday of fashion illustration. The illustrators such as ‘Eric’, Bouché & Draz were constantly in demand & are considered to be the masters of fashion illustration. They brought a realism to fashion illustration & their work was appreciated & admired in all the leading publications of the time. Their style recognized the importance of drawing from life & looking back, their work is iconic to the subtleties of the period & the enormous style that women strived to achieve.
When covering the twice-yearly fashion shows in Paris, the fashion illustrators were forbidden from recording what they saw until they had left the event. They would rush to the nearest café to produce the sketches from memory. Their early working drawings were often more exciting than the final published work. They were often freer, fresher & more spontaneous and would represent the artist behind the picture before it became too over worked for publication.
American illustrator Carl ‘Eric’ Erickson (1891 – 1958) is recognized as on the of the most influential fashion illustrators of the 20th century. He was a leading name in the field of fashion illustration & advertising for over 35 years. He had a great understanding of fashion. He deployed an acute observation with an elegant line; loose brushwork and colour washes that achieved a great variation of line and a distinct seemingly spontaneous feel. His preferred medium was charcoal. For many he was the master from whom other illustrators, such as René Bouché & René Willaumez Bouet (with whom he worked and was his main rival), René Gruau & Antonio Lopez all drew inspiration. His work lead him to New York where he received his first commissions from Vogue in 1916. He continued to work for Vogue in France, Britain & the US right up until his death in 1958. Walt Reed wrote in his book ‘The Illustrator in America’ that Eric was ‘himself the personification of his elegant world…he wore a bowler hat and carried a walking stick, and he directly participated in the fashionable life of the international set’. A 1940s Ink & wash by Erickson, which was an original project for American Vogue titled Awaiting To Embark carries a price tag of £4,000.
Very little is known about Maynard ( – ), however he will be represented in the exhibition by an original fashion illustration for Nina Ricci dating from 1946 (£2,500)
Eva Aldbrook, Maynard & Pierre Mourgue
French illustrator Pierre Mourgue (1890 – 1969) was originally a house illustrator for the leading French fashion magazine Gazette du Bon Ton. In 1920, when Conde Naste purchased Gazette du Bon Ton, Mourgue is credited with ensuring that many of the best illustrators came over to Vogue. He moved to New York & illustrated for American Vogue, bringing the magazine an unmistakable sense of Parisian wit & flair. An ink & watercolour illustration titled Femme, dating from 1946 has a retail price of £5,000. Also from the 1940s, included in the exhibition will be several sketches by one of the most famous names in fashion, Christian Dior, (1905 – 1957). Illustrated on original Lucien Lelong letterhead from the renowned couture house Lucien Lelong, Couturier à Paris, 16 Rue Matignon, Paris, these exceptional drawings show the emergence of the legionary ‘New Look’ silhouette, the nipped in waist & longer skirt that was the essence of simplicity. Following the liberation of Paris in August 1944, a new light and hope dawned over the city. The drawings capture this atmosphere of renewal as Dior began to craft his own ‘New Look’ while still working under the couture house of Lelong. Each one is inscribed with notes from Dior, two of the drawings are inscribed with ‘Praline’ the nickname of one of the post war period’s top models Janine Sagny-Marsay a favoured model of Dior & later Pierre Balmain. Each has a selling price of £5,500.
Also linked to Dior is Eva Aldbrook (1925 – ). Eva initially trained as a classical dancer, however her father, who was a scientist, did not believe that dance was a sufficient education & so she enrolled at St Martin’s School of Art under the legionary fashion & costume tutor Muriel Pemberton. Eva became the ‘darling’ of the British Press, receiving commissions from all the most respected fashion editors of the time. From editor, Alisa Garland at British Vogue (1961 – 1964), Eileen Ascroft at The Evening Standard to the doyenne of London’s newspaper and fashion world Ernestine Carter, Associate Editor of The Sunday Times (1955 – 1972). She was one of the most successful & recognizable illustrators of the period. Her understanding of movement and fashion allowed her to illustrate with great flair and grace, capturing the essence of 1950s & 1960s fashion. An original fashion illustration of Dior model Christine Tidmarsh, titled Dior Model II dating from 1956, is priced at £1,600.
American illustrator René Bouché (1905 – 1963) was one of the most evocative fashion & advertising illustrators of his era. He was able to capture, with charm, wit and enormous style the fashion & look of his subjects, whether of fashion or studies of the ‘fashionable’ people of his time. In 1938, he began to illustrate for French Vogue, to which he remained committed throughout his life. By 1953 he was also receiving numerous portrait commissions, among them the Kennedy family, (who called him Paintbrush), Truman Capote & Aldous Huxley. During this time he regularly provided front covers for Time magazine. Throughout the 1950s, Conde Nast commissioned him to travel extensively abroad to capture the social events of Europe, from racing in Ireland to the extravagance of the French Riviera & the couture collections in Paris. An original watercolour Cover Illustration Commissioned for British Vogue for the November 1953 issue has a price tag of £10,000.
Eric Stemp, May Routh & Gustav Falk
French illustrator Pierre Simon (1907 – 1999) attended L’Ecole de Beaux Arts. His first commission was for Harpers Bazaar in 1927. He went on to work for many of the leading magazines such as L’Illustration & collaborated with many of the luxury designers including Dior, Van Cleff and Arpels. His work was also commissioned for numerous advertising projects between 1950 & the 1970s. An original Ink & Gouache advertising fashion illustration depicting Woman with Umbrella, dating from 1950 has a price tag of £3,500.
As the 1960s took hold & the youth culture democratized fashion, fashion illustration began its sad decline & although the illustrators remained in demand from the leading journals of New York, Paris & London, photography challenged almost every aspect of the fashion illustrators work, particularly magazine covers. The media demanded an ease of reproduction that included the possibility of scaling images up or down, requiring clear details of the garments. This could only be achieved by photography. Yet the illustrators, who continued to work, stayed true to form and continued to receive commissions that were sustained by their knowledge acquired in the life class at art school.
British illustrator Eric Stemp (1924 – 2001) was a master of the elegant fashion illustration. His work was commissioned for British Vogue continuously from 1955 to 1963. His precise line made him a favourite with the editors. An original fashion drawing of model Sevilla Hercolani from the 1960s in charcoal has a ticket price of £2,500.
May Routh (1934 – ) was born to English parents in India & now lives & and teaches art in the Hollywood Hills. Upon graduation, she was employed as a fashion designer, however it was not a world that she enjoyed and moved over to modelling to support herself. Her first illustrative job came from a commission to illustrate Ponds face cream for J Walter Thompson. With the encouragement of a fashion editor, she became a fashion illustrator & worked through out the 1960s for numerous publications including Vogue, Elle & Honey magazines.
She covered the shows in Paris & was also regularly commissioned by Ernestine Carter for The Times. She worked throughout this time with many of the other leading illustrators including Angela Landels (with whom she is still great friends). By the 1970s her career moved to costume design. The writer Len Dieghton, (The Ipcress File) was making the film ‘Oh! What a Lovely War’ & asked May to work as an assistant. From here she went on do costume illustration for ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, ‘The Three & Four Musketeers’, ‘Being There’ to name just a few. Her first solo credit came for ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’ starring David Bowie & then other films including ‘Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band’ & ‘Splash’. Her work has been recognized with two Emmy nominations for ‘Desi & Lucy, Before Laughter’ & ‘Andersonville’. She had a long working career with the director John Frankenheimer with whom she worked on many films including ‘Ronin’ starring Robert de Niro & Jean Reno. An original fashion illustration also of Model Sevilla Hercolani from the 1960s, has a price tag of £800.
American Illustrator Gustav Falk (1926 – 2011) studied art alongside the pioneers of the abstract expressionist movement such as William DeKooning, Joseph Albers & Hans Hoffman. In the 1950s he moved to Paris to concentrate on fashion illustration, where he was a staff illustrator for the fashion magazine Jardin des Modes & also was regularly commissioned to illustrate for Wallis in the UK & Women’s Wear Daily. An original fashion illustration for French magazine Jardin des Modes of model Pascale Falk in white pastel on paper, dating from circa 1965 has a ticket price of £2,000.
French illustrator René Gruau (1909 – 2004) undoubtedly is the most recognizable illustrator and artist of his era. His ability to captivate the eye with his unique style was both simple & dramatic, using minimal lines that combine seductive sophistication with classic beauty and sensual elegance. In his early career in France, Gruau worked for Marie Claire, Femina & L’Album Du Figaro. During the war he moved to Lyon where Marie Claire relocated during the German occupation. He went on to work with Elsa Schiaparelli, Balmain, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Givenchy & Elizabeth Arden. In 1947 Gruau met Christian Dior & his career as an illustrator took off.
Their collaboration lasted for decades. It was Gruau who created the original Miss Dior image with its elegant white swan, black bow & string of pearls. In 1948 he moved to the United States to work for Harper’s Bazaar & Vogue. He then became the exclusive artist for Flair magazine. His ability to move from haute couture fashion to advertising was one of his boldest moves. Many of his fellow illustrators were reluctant to move into advertising however Gruau’s reputation was built on his ability to convey strong bold images that caught the reader’s eye. His most famous cinema poster was for La Dolce Vita in 1959. He also produced memorable images for Martini & Omega watches. His work is recognized internationally & is held in national museums and galleries, including the Louvre as well as in numerous private collections. An original fashion illustration in ink from the 1960s has an asking price of £6,000.
American illustrator Tod Draz (1917 – 2002) was a part of the ‘golden age’ of fashion illustration & inspired many of the later illustrators who looked upon him as a ‘master’ of elegance. His work was never stylized; he always worked from a live model & genuinely understood the importance of drawing from life. He gained his experience in New York, working as a commissioned illustrator for The New York Times, the department store Saks 5th Avenue & Women’s Wear Daily. His work appeared daily in the press & he was constantly in demand.
However, his dream was to be published in Vogue & so he moved to Paris where he was regularly commissioned by French Vogue, along side continuing to work for The New York Times covering the couture shows in Paris & Milan. He contributed to the British press also during this period, with commissions for The Sunday Times & British Vogue. Two original Fashion Illustrations commissioned for the Sunday Times fashion page from the 1960s are each priced at £2,500.
In the 1970s Antonio’s influence was radical, his exuberant style rendered fashion illustration once again a vital form of expression that allowed the viewer to be caught up in the magic of fashion illustration all over again.
British Illustrators include Angela Landels (1935 – ) who was Art Director at Harper’s & Queen having learnt her craft from fashion editors, photographers and models in the presentation of fashion. Her work captures the essence & style of the 1970s & is brilliantly displayed in her work of this period. Two original pencil illustrations commissioned for Harpers & Queen in the 1970s, for Zandra Rhodes – Titled Jubilee I & Jubilee II each carry a price tag of £3,500.
British designer Dame Zandra Rhodes (1940 – ) is recognized as one of the new wave British designers who put London at the forefront of the international fashion scene in the 1970s with her unique use of bold prints, fiercely feminine patterns and theatrical use of colour. Her wedding designs from the early 1970s were iconic designs of pleated ruffles & soft fluid lines. She continues to design for the rich and famous around the world from royalty to rock stars. In 2003 Zandra set up the Fashion & Textile Museum. A museum dedicated to showing the work of fashion and textile designers from the 1950s onwards. In 1997 she was made a Commander of the British Empire in recognition of her contribution to fashion and textiles and in 2014 she has been awarded the highest accolade of Dame.* Three original designs for Wedding Dresses dating from 1972 each have a price tag of £750.
Angela Landels, Dame Zandra Rhodes, Brian Stonehouse M.B.E. & Barbara Hulanicki
Brian Stonehouse M.B.E. (1918 – 1998) had an eclectic set of careers: he was a Vogue fashion artist, a wartime secret agent and a professional portrait painter. He studied at Ipswich Art School before becoming an illustrator for British Vogue. Following the end of WW11 he returned to the world of fashion, from 1946 working for American Vogue as well as Harpers Bazar & Elizabeth Arden in Washington D.C. and New York. On his return to Britain he became a professional portrait painter. A portrait of The Queen Mother hangs in the Special Forces Club, London. Gray MCA will be offering several of his works from the 1950s and 1970s including a charcoal sketch Cow Girl (£2,500).
Barbara Hulanicki (1936 – ) the internationally known fashion designer was originally a fashion illustrator who, having completed her studies at Brighton Art College, worked as a respected fashion illustrator until opening a mail order clothing company ‘Biba’s Postal Boutique’ with her husband. The business was an overnight success & was overwhelmed with orders for a sleeveless gingham shift dress that featured in the Daily Mirror. Hulanicki also became known for the outfits she designed for Cathy McGowan, presenter of the TV pop music show ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ & in 1964 the first BIBA boutique opened in Abingdon Road in London. Women, mostly under 25, flocked there to buy Hulanicki’s mod clothes in dark colours such as mulberries, blueberries, rusts and plum*. Several illustrations & original designs by Barbara Hulanicki will be included in the selling exhibition including an original Fashion design BIBA – Black Shift Dress Abingdon Road ‘Biba’s Postal Boutique’ in watercolour dating from 1964, which has an asking price of £900
EXHIBITION DATES
Thursday, September 11 to Tuesday, September 16 2014
LOCATION
Gallery 8
8 Duke Street St James’s
London
SW1Y 6BN
PUBLIC OPENING HOURS
Thursday, September 11 – 10am – 8pm
Friday, September 12 – 10am – 6.30pm
Saturday, September 13 – 10am – 6.30pm
Sunday, September 14 – 10am – 6.30pm
Monday, September 15 – 10am – 6.30pm
Tuesday, September 16 – 10am – 6.30pm
For more information on Gray M.C.A, please visit www.graymca.co.uk