L’Affichomania: The Passion for French Posters

March 7 through “Safer-at-Home” closure March 25, 2020

Showcasing the remarkable work of five master printmakers, Jules Chéret, Alphonse Mucha, Eugène Grasset, Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, L’Affichomania: The Passion for French Posters features more than sixty posters and ephemera dating from 1875 to 1910. These pioneering artists reigned in Paris during this period of artistic proliferation, defining a never-before-seen, and never forgotten, art form. Peppering the walls and kiosks of Parisian neighborhoods, boldly colorful posters were heralded as a new art form, a brilliant fusion of craft and commerce. The sudden popularity of posters fueled a passion for collecting them, called affichomania.

Make a virtual visit to learn more about French posters and the artists. View eleven brief videos, posted on the Museum’s YouTube channel, via this playlist.

Organized by The Richard H. Driehaus Museum, Chicago, and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington D.C., the exhibition explores the eruption of the poster craze in Paris conveying the exuberance of the spirited era in France known as the Belle Époque.

Exhibition Highlights

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jane Avril, 1899, color lithograph, photograph by John Faier, © 2015, courtesy of The Richard H. Driehaus Museum

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Moulin Rouge: La Goulue, 1891, color lithograph, photograph by John Faier, © 2015, courtesy of The Richard H. Driehaus Museum

Alphonse Mucha, Princess Hyacinth, 1911, color lithograph, photograph by John Faier, © 2015, courtesy of The Richard H. Driehaus Museum

Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Motocycles Comiot, 1899, color lithograph, photograph by John Faier, © 2015, courtesy of The Richard H. Driehaus Museum

Alphonse Mucha, Zodiac, 1896, color lithograph on silk, photograph by John Faier, © 2015, courtesy of The Richard H. Driehaus Museum

Jules Chéret, Folies-Bergère/La Loïe Fuller, 1893, color lithograph, photograph by John Faier, © 2015, courtesy of The Richard H. Driehaus Museum

Eugène Grasset, Salon des Cent: Exposition Grasset, 1894, color lithograph, photograph by John Faier, © 2015, courtesy of The Richard H. Driehaus Museum

The Woodson Art Museum thanks members, donors, grantors, and sponsors who support the exhibition and programs. UMR is the presenting sponsor of L’Affichomania: The Passion for French Posters. Additional exhibition support comes from Alice W. and Joseph F. Smith, Jr. and also from Jim and Sue Konkel. Educational support comes from the Bell Family Charitable Foundation and WoodTrust Bank. Additional educational support comes from Tim and Cari Logemann. Exhibitions and programs are supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Marketing supported in part by City of Wausau Room Tax funds. Support for hands-on art-making supplies comes from the Walmart Foundation.