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DRAW ART FAIR17 - 19 MAY • SAATCHI GALLERY • LONDON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Galerie Alexis Pentcheff is thrilled to announce its participation in the first edition of DRAW Art Fair with a solo show of René Gruau. From May 17 to 19, the gallery will present at the Saatchi Gallery an exclusive selection of more than fifty historical fashion works by the iconic illustrator, including drawings, gouaches and inks on paper.

Fench-Italian dandy and close friend of Christian Dior’s, self-taught artist René Gruau created some of the most iconic images of the twentieth century. Instigating what one might see today as the Parisian chic, the artist captured the fashion world for over sixty years and yet his work remains incredibly modern today.

His bold and vivid feminine silhouettes, very often combining the intensity of the ink and brightness of the gouache, bursting with joy, shaped the fashion industry for decades. Excelling at advertising, René Gruau worked with the finest designers, fashion houses, magazines and the two emblematic Parisian cabarets – Lido and Moulin Rouge. Not only has he left a tremendous visual legacy, but he also contributed to foster a genuine fashion renaissance in Paris after World War II.

R E N É

G R U A UI C O N I C FA S H I O N I L L U S T R A T O R

The gallery Alexis Pentcheff is honoured to present the largest collection of works by René Gruau and is highly implied in his worldwide representation within the institutional and private sector. With works co-ming directly from the artist’s family, the gallery has presented several exhibitions and events dedicated to René Gruau and has met worldwide amateurs and collectors.

«A line...is the basis of all art.

With a single line we can express grandeur, nobility, and sensua-

lity; the line synthesizes sensations and concentrates knowledge.»

René Gruau

DRAW ART FAIR17 - 19 MAY • SAATCHI GALLERY • LONDON

S O L O S H O W

RENÉ GRUAULe New Look, Maison Christian Dior

Ink and gouache on paper, signed lower left45,5 x 45,5 cm

BIOGRAPHY

R E N É G R U A U

René Gruau and Dior

In 1947, René Gruau and Dior sign an important – and lifelong - collaboration that will foster a fashion renais-sance in Paris. The New-Look Collection released by Dior that same year is revolutionary and René Gruau is hired to make the world talk about it. At Dior, he is responsible for the advertising campaign of the brand’s first perfume, Miss Dior. Subsequently, he creates some of his most em-blematic work for Diorama, Diorissimo or Eau Sauvage. The brand is gaining momentum and opens lingerie and cosmetics branches. The house gives Gruau the artistic autonomy he is seeking while he produces some of the most iconic images of the century.

Iconic advertising

Advertising takes therefore a prominent part in the illus-trator’s work. Over the decades, Gruau’s idiosyncratic lines, elegant curves, bold colours and daring smiles em-body what one’s eye sees today as the “élégance à la française”. Rouge Baiser’s campaign, released in 1947, might summarise it all : the darkness of the Indian ink, the poetry of an almost abstract line unveiling a face and the intensity of irresistible red lips.

DRAW ART FAIR17 - 19 MAY • SAATCHI GALLERY • LONDON

René Gruau was born in Rimini in 1909. Since his early age, his first wish is to become an architect. However, the young artist has to make a living and through one of his mother’s acquaintances, he publishes his first fashion drawings in the Milanese magazine Lidel. Self-taught, Gruau is then only fif-teen years old.

René Gruau and the fashion industry

René Gruau moves to Paris in 1928 and begins working for magazines such as Le Figaro or the hat magazine Marianne. The following year, he meets the young Christian Dior with whom he will build a lasting friendship. From that time, Gruau works with some of the biggest fashion magazines such as Vogue, Femina, Marie-Claire, Silhouettes, The Official Cou-ture ... and draws iconic pieces for Balenciaga, Fath, Piguet, Givenchy, Molyneux, Rochas ...

During the Second World War, the artist who does not take part in the conflict eventually reaches Cannes where some haute-couture houses continue to produce, including Ma-rie-Claire, from whom he receives a few commissions for il-lustrations. When the conflict comes to an end, René Gruau is back in Paris. His friends, Christian Dior and Jacques Fath, are about to open their own fashion houses.

RENÉ GRUAUCouvrez-vous maintenant (1)Watercolour, ink and gouache on paper40,5 x 30 cm

RENÉ GRUAUHéroïne moderneInk and watercolour on paper 50 x 38 cm

RENÉ GRUAUProjet de mode, robes et tailleur

Illustration project for the magazine International Textiles

Ink, pencil and gouache on paper signed lower right

50 x 34 cm

RENÉ GRUAUPrête pour l’embarquementInk and gouache on paper

Signed lower right49 x 35 cm

Capturing the fashion world

In 1948, René Gruau moves to the US where he works for Harper’s Bazaar and agrees to be the exclusive designer of the new magazine Flair, re-cently launched by Fleur Cowles. Feeling trapped in this situation, René Gruau decides to return to France, convinced he will find back there his artistic freedom.

With Balmain, Jacques Griffe, Lucien Lelong, Jacques Fath, Elizabeth Arden, Payot, Peggy Sage, Givenchy, Bemberg, Dormeuil, Ortalion, Noveltex shirts or the Pellet shoes, René Gruau reveals an innate talent for advertisement... He signs several campaigns for the legendary Parisian cabarets: Lido and Moulin Rouge. Alongside this important advertising activity, René Gruau continues to draw for international fashion magazines such as Interna-tional Textiles or Sir.

During nearly sixty years, René Gruau develops a very personal style that has led some of his works to become universal representations of their time. His emblematic lines, vivid contrasts and elegant fe-minine silhouettes, have been a significant influence on the following generation of fashion designers and illustrators. And yet, his work seems ageless.

At the end of his life, René Gruau’s artistic produc-tion moves away from the fashion industry.

Draw Art Fair London will be the first fair in the UK dedicated to modern and contemporary drawing. It aims to present all facets of drawing as a fundamental practice and to create a platform where rare works by mo-dern masters and recent works from the 21st century will stand side by side. It will provide an unrivalled opportunity for visitors to discover the new, and to rediscover established artists. Draw Art Fair London will be launched in London from 15–19 May 2019 (opening to the public from 17–19 May). It will take place over three floors at the Saatchi Gallery. Draw Art Fair London will include up to sixty galleries and exhibitors, who will be invited to curate individual exhibitions of artists’ drawings, or groups of drawings, in a museum-style context.

Exhibitors will be able to juxtapose drawings with related paintings, sculp-tures, photos or videos, in a ratio of approximately 70% to 30%, using drawing as the core concept and placing it at the heart of a broader pers-pective on artistic creation and production.

Saatchi Gallery is ideally located in central London near Sloane Square on King’s Road, Chelsea.

DRAW ART FAIR17 - 19 MAY • SAATCHI GALLERY • LONDON

RENÉ GRUAUDes nœuds, des nœuds

Ink, gouache and watercolour on paper40 x 30 cm

C O N TA C T &I N F O R M A T I O N

DRAW ART FAIR17 - 19 MAY • SAATCHI GALLERY • LONDON

VIP OPENING 15 May

DAY OPENING 16 May

Saatchi Gallery

Duke of York’s HQ

King’s Road

London

SW3 4RY

www.drawartfair.com

GALERIE ALEXIS PENTCHEFF131 - 133 rue Paradis13006 Marseille

+33 6 82 72 95 79www.galeriepentcheff.fr

PRESS

Claudia Goletto+33 6 49 00 86 00

claudia.goletto@galeriepentcheff.fr