Adrien BARRÈRE (1877-1931). Les pantins du vice, Harakiri, le château de la mort lente, les Monsttres, le Fakir aveugle, L'atroce volupté, Le Divin Arétin, Gott mit uns (God with us), Un concert chez les fous, Le submersible, DÉDÉ, personnages, étude de Nus. Set of seventeen drawings, watercolours or gouaches. INCLUDED are two prints on the same mount. Height from 12 to 51 cm; Width: from 10 to 98 cm. Adrien Barrère was a French painter, poster artist and cartoonist born in 1877. After studying law and medicine, he turned away from these disciplines to devote himself to the art of drawing. It was with his series of cartoons entitled Tête de Turc, published in the magazine Fantasio, that he attracted attention and began to make a name for himself in the world of graphic humour. He continued in this field as a press cartoonist and poster artist. He worked with a number of theatres, including the Théâtre du Grand Guignol, where he designed emblematic posters. This collection of preparatory work and drawings comes from this part of his work. At the same time, he worked for the film industry, in particular for Pathé's comedies. He also He also took part in exhibitions such as the Salon des Humoristes, which established him as one of the great names in press cartooning of his time. In addition to his artistic work, Barrère was also involved in politics, producing posters for various election campaigns. election campaigns. Without disguising his caricatural and humorous style, he was part of the visual and political culture of his time. The Grand Guignol, founded in Paris in 1897, was a theatre renowned for its macabre and violent plays, combining horror and psychology. Adrien Barrère, the theatre's poster artist, helped to create the striking imagery that accompanied these shows. His preparatory work for the posters visually conveyed the intensity of the plots, often centred on madness and cruelty, using simple but powerful graphic elements. Today, these posters bear witness to the unique atmosphere of this venue, where visual art and the stage came together to capture the public's imagination. After the Second World War, audiences for this type of show became rare. with the war. The Grand Guignol closed its doors in 1963 after a number of complicated years. Expert : Cabinet MARÉCHAUX