René GRUAU (Renato Zavagli-Ricciardelli delle Caminate)

French-Italian illustrator, poster artist and painter, whose real name is Renato Zavagli-Ricciardelli delle Caminate, René Gruau is one of the favourite artists in the world of the "haute couture".
He published his first fashion drawings at the age of 15 in the Milanese magazine "Lidel".
In 1928, he began working for fashion magazines such as "Le Figaro" where he became friends with another young fashion designer, Christian Dior. His collaborations in the fashion world multiplied, he illustrated for "Vogue", "Marie-Claire" or "L'Officiel" and drew the designs for the fashion designers such as Fath, Givenchy or Balenciaga.
He worked closely with Dior from 1947 until the mid-1980s. Gruau was in charge of developing the design for the first Dior perfume "Miss Dior". Dior gave Gruau total artistic freedom to create his advertising campaigns.
Whether for fashion, perfumery or cosmetics, René Gruau is constantly reinventing the "élégance à la française".
He also produced several posters for legendary Parisian cabarets such as "Le Lido" or the "Moulin Rouge", as well as the famous poster for Fellini's film "La Dolce Vita" in 1959.
His posters often echoed both classical Japanese drawings and Toulouse-Lautrec's sketches.
His perfect mastery of the line aims to glorify the feminine figure. His work in the world of fashion and advertising has visually inspired several generations.