Eugène Grasset
Eugène Grasset was a Swiss artist who lived from 1845 to 1917. He was part of the Art Nouveau movement that came out during the Belle Époque period. His work was inspired by Egyptian and Japanese art, and the works of Gustave Doré and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, which influenced his designs.
Grasset was born in 1845 in Lausanne on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. His father was a sculptor and cabinet maker. In Lausanne, he studied art under Francois-Louis David Bocion, a Swiss artist. In 1861, Grasset moved to Zurich to study architecture, though he was not very successful.
In 1865, Grasset left Switzerland to travel. That first year, he spent time in Marseille in southern France. The following year, in 1866, he traveled to Egypt. Grasset was a youth in his twenties and the trip to Egypt proved to be a monumental inspiration for his art for the rest of his life.
After returning back home to Lausanne, in Switzerland, in 1867, he worked on decorative sculpture, as well as theater set design. During this time, Grasset met the architect, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Viollet-le-Duc was known for his successful restorations of medieval architecture, including the Notre Dame in Paris, Mont Saint-Michel, and Carcassonne and became a major influence on Grasset’s thought and style.
In 1871, Eugène Grasset moved to Paris, France to pursue his career. In Paris, he was swept up in the Parisian love of Japanese art. Grasset’s art blossomed with each new exposure, and he blended styles together, adding Japanese elements to his work already inspired by Egyptian art. Grasset became successful as an illustrator, receiving multiple commissions to illustrate book publications. His success allowed him to branch out. He worked as a decorative art designer in the applied arts. Grasset worked on sundry tasks including designing tapestries, jewelry, fabric for furniture, posters, mosaics, stained glass, logos, and fine art pieces, amongst other things.
In the 1880s, he began working more on graphic design for which he was very successful. His work graced magazine covers, as well as advertisement lithograph posters. In 1890, he designed an advertising poster for the French actress, Sarah Bernhardt, as Joan of Arc. In 1892, he designed the cover illustration for the Christmas issue of Harper’s Magazine, an esteemed commission.
In 1891, Grasset became a French citizen. That same year, he began his long career at teaching design, first at the Ecole Guérin in Paris until 1904, when he moved to Academie de la Grande Chaumière, also in Paris. He was highly influential on a number of artists including Paul Berthon, who was one of his students, and Alphonse Mucha, and Louis Rhead, who were exposed to his poster art.
Grasset created a font style, aptly named Grasset, which was patented in 1897. In 1900, it was introduced to the public at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, France. It was very popular in print until the first world war. It can be purchased and used online today.
Eugène Grasset died in 1917 at 72 years old.
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