Salon des Cent

Eugène Grasset made this poster for an exhibition devoted to his work at the Salon des Cent in Paris in April 1894. The Salon was organized by the arts magazine "La Plume" at its premises at 31 rue Bonaparte and helped present modern prints and posters as collectible art. Grasset was born in Lausanne and built his career in France across illustration, typography, furniture, stained glass, and other decorative arts. His wide-ranging approach made him an important early figure in French Art Nouveau, a movement that sought to unite fine art with everyday design. The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe identifies the woman in the poster as an allegory of drawing, with nature serving as her teacher. Different institutional impressions are catalogued under several closely related color-printing techniques, reflecting the poster's varied publication history.