ART & ARTISTS: Charles Loupot

Wednesday, 1 January 2025

Charles Loupot - part 1

Charles Loupot (1892 – 1962) was a French poster artist and painter. He was one of France’s most significant poster artists, along with A. M. Cassandre, Paul Colin, and Jean Carlu. His pioneering use of the lithographic technique was widely celebrated across his fifty year career. Born in Nice, France, to David Loupot and Joséphine Grassi. In 1907 the family relocated to Lausanne, Switzerland, where Loupot completed his education. In 1911 Loupot was enrolled in the École des Beaux-arts de Lyon, where he took classes in painting and life drawing, and experimented with lithography. The outbreak of the first world war put an abrupt end to these studies, as Loupot was conscripted to fight and amongst the first to be sent to the front. He was quickly injured, however, and sent back to his parents in Lausanne for a period of convalescence.

Loupot moved to Paris in 1923 and began working for Maison Devambez. His innovative posters for the automobile company Voisin quickly established Loupot as a pioneering figure on the design scene. In the same year, A.M. Cassandre - with whom Loupot would later collaborate - produced 'Le Bûcheron', also representing a radical departure from the established Art Nouveau style. Loupot and Cassandre, along with Paul Colin and Jean Carlu, were nicknamed the 'Musketeers' by critics, and seen to be ushering in a new era of poster design

His studio became a popular meeting place for a range of creatives based in Lausanne, including the photographer Émile Gos, and the writer Charles Ramuz. At this time Loupot also met Marcelle Vittet, his future wife, who would model for a number of his designs

Following WW2 Loupot produced series of meticulous designs, that increasingly pushed the boundaries between abstract and figurative works. This change in his style is exemplified in his work for St-Raphaël. This shift has been ranked amongst the most iconic examples of the advertising revolution of the twentieth century. By 1950 the majority of laws against alcohol advertising had been lifted, although some restrictions remained. That year, with the help of Max Augier (by then good friends with Loupot), Loupot formed his own advertising agency, called 'Les Arcs’. Whilst St-Raphaël remained Loupot's major client, he was free to take on other commissions, and worked with Nicolas again. As with his work for St-Raphaël, Loupot's post-war Nicolas designs were radically simplified from their original inter-war appearance.

Although Loupot was most famous for his work as a commercial poster, privately he also experimented extensively with painting. These works were not intended to be sold, and were principally images of his surroundings, friends, and lovers. There is, however, some suggestion that Loupot was occasionally commissioned as a decorator at the beginning of his career in Paris, although details surrounding this are unclear. His most significant contribution to painting was the chapel, Notre-Dame-de-la-Tête-Ronde à Menou, that he decorated in the 1950s.

This is part 1 of a 4-part series on the works of Charles Loupot: