Leonetto Cappiello

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Cappiello original poster 1912

Il Maestro Cappiello elevated the advertising poster to the level of fine Art

Leonetto Cappiello began his career at the end of the 19th century as a caricaturist illustrating in the 'Le Rire' journal. He then went on to become a cartoonist and caricaturist of celebrities of the time in 'Le Cri de Paris', 'Le Sourire', 'L'Assiette au Beurre' and other magazines.

Le passé de la comédie française

1900 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 375.–

Paquet Pernot, Pratique, Avantageux, Conservation assurée, Biscuits Pernot

1905 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 5200.–

He also collaborated in the journal 'Frou-Frou', for which he created his first poster in 1901. It was natural then that he turned towards this new form of expression which from 1890 underwent considerable development linked to the rapid growth of publicity.

The poster for the Pernot biscuits designed in 1905, is still clearly inspired by his works as caricaturist.

Chocolat Klaus - The red horse

Chocolat Klaus

1903 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

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In 1903, he designed his most famous poster for ‘Chocolat Klaus’. Over a black background, a woman dressed in green is riding a red horse. The text ‘Chocolat Klaus’ stands out in bright yellow. In this poster Cappiello presents a subject that has no link to a product that is not even represented.

The success of this poster was immediate – clients asked for the chocolate ‘with the red horse’. This process, of using a strong identification between product, image and brand is totally innovative. It is reinforced by the simplification of the message which is reduced to the essential, strengthened by the use of bright contrasting colours.

This is the beginning of modern advertising and the understanding of how it works. The importance is in capturing the attention by a visual and aesthetic emotion, even if the subject of the poster has no direct link, then associating this emotion to a trade mark.

Chocolat Klaus, Bouchées assorties

1920 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 330.–

Chocolat Klaus

1920 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 330.–

Following the extraordinary Chocolat Klaus poster, Cappiello produced a series of masterpieces which would mark 20th century advertising.

Il Maestro Cappiello

Leonetto Cappiello made his name during the advertising poster boom period in the early 20th century. He elevated the advertising poster from the street to the level of fine Art.

By transgressing artistic traditions of the Belle époque, he liberated the poster from its constraints and pushed it in a totally new direction that would transform graphic art and the publicity during the 20th century.

Cognac Pellisson Père & Co.

1907 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 990.–

Campari Cordial liquor

1923 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 1820.–

Cognac Pellisson, Père & Co

1907 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 2850.–

Colors and a strong concept

Cappiello’s method was based on visual surprise: the poster’s image visually leaps out before the eyes and easily attracts the attention of passers-by. The poster's strength was in the simplicity of the image and it's reduction to an essential message.

On the Campari poster, a jester leaps out of an orange to capture the onlooker's attention. Its vivid colours on a black background makes it even more visible in an urban landscape.

Imagine it, two meters high, decorating a street corner! It would certainly not go unnoticed.

Bitter Campari

1921 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 5830.–

In the same line of thinking, a devil temptingly uncorks a bottle of Maurin Quina wine, while in a different poster, another figure, clown-like, probably inspired by Pantalone from Commedia Dell'Arte, spits fire, inviting to buy the heated thermal plaster, Thermogène, a cough cure.

His style was to use a strong starting concept, together with dominant lines, curves and intense colors.
He used historical characters, animals, clowns, masked faces..., often from the Comedy Dell'arte, contrasted against a colorful or black background. These characters were used to sell all sorts of products and events.

Maurin Quina, Le Puy

1906 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

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Le thermogène engendre la chaleur et combat: toux et rhumatismes, 1949 late autorized edition

1949 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 850.–

Le Thermogène engendre la chaleur

1949 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 770.–

For Cinzano, Cappiello reused his idea for Chocolat Klaus, but this time with a red zebra and and a Roman senator wearing a toga, making a reference to the Italian origin of the product.

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The red recalls the color of vermouth, which together with the green background makes up the colors of the Italian flag. The zebra symbolizes the 2 colors of Cinzano drinks, red or white, to attract attention.

The red Cinzano zebra would be reworked by several other artists such as Savignac or Nico Edel.

Cinzano, le meilleur apéritif

1920 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

Vodka Relsky

1925 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 2570.–

Sometimes the link between the image and the product was more evident; the red beard of a Russian to sell a brand of vodka Relsky or a priest who rings a bell to signal time for the Angelus prayer, and also time to drink an Angelus, an Italian alcoholic drink.

Angelus, Liqueur des Salésiens de Dom Bosco

1907 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 630.–

Cognac Monnet

1927 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 6950.–

It is often women who are shown tasting Cognac Monnet, offering a glass of Contratto Champagne, or tinned Barbier-Dauphin tomatoes.

Contratto, Cannelli, vermouth

1925 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 440.–

Contratto champagne

1922 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 6350.–

Conserves Barbier Dauphin

1948 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO (after)

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Omega

1910 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

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Womens also like Swiss watches like Omega or Zenith

Zenith

1912 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

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JOB, Papier à cigarettes

1933 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 2960.–

The famous "JOB Pacha" for a French rolling paper company.

He also used historical figures, such as the King of Spain for Agua de Vilajuiga water, François the First for beer or the brother of Louis XIV for Champagne.

Agua de Vilajuiga

1912 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 1720.–

For the beer 'Fort-Carré" Cappiello represented Francois the First, who seems very satisfied with its taste. This is a reference to a battle of 1544 in the town of Champagne. Legend says that Francois the First drank a beer there and was very pleased by the welcome of its inhabitants.

Bière du Fort-Carré, anno 1544

1911 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

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For Amiot Champagne, Cappiello depicted a mannered portrait of Monsieur, the brother of Louis XIV dressed in court costume with all its frills and ribbons. Monsieur greatly appreciated a glass of champagne and tells us with a snobbish gesture.

Crémant du Roi, Veuve Amiot, grands vins mousseux

1922 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

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Champagne has always had a strong link with royalty, since, according to legend, the celebrated glass of champagne shown on the Veuve Amiot poster had been moulded from the breast of the Marquise de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV. Whatever the slight anachronism present in the poster, this glass did not exist at the time of Louis XIV. What was important to Cappiello was the link between champagne and royalty, the idea of luxury, of celebration, even the hint of decadence offered by the snobbish image of Monsieur.

Champagne de Castellane, Epernay

1920 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 95.–

L'Oie d'Or, La reine des crèmes de foie gras

1934 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

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Majestic and proud, Her Highness the Golden Goose (l’Oie d’Or) bows her crowned head towards her royal product: "The Queen of Foie Gras Creams". A masterpiece of the "father of modern advertising", Leonetto Cappiello.

The Cappiello Style

Cappiello created numerous images which have become mythical in poster history, whether the subject is drinks (Champagne, Absinthe, Anis, Vodka, Pernod, Campari, Cinzano) or banal domestic products rendered sublime by his creative genius like Kub, Baudin, Mossant, Revel, Thermogène, brands of coffee, soaps, chocolates, and many others.

Parapluie-Revel, Lyon France

1922 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO (after)

CHF 85.–

Le bas Revel, Lyon

1929 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 2500.–

Parapluie Revel

1929 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 230.–

Chapeaux Mossant

1938 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

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The famous Mossant hat poster

Les pansements "La Croix-Soleil"

1919 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 770.–

Le café Martin

1930 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

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Baudin, la cuisinière des cuisinières

1933 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 1770.–

At the time Art Nouveau dominated, but the Cappiello style would now influence dozens of artists all over Europe who would cover street walls with colorful posters, each brighter than the last. Cappiello opened the way for the Art Deco movement which developed from 1920.

Nitrolian, sec aussitôt peint, Bruxelles

1929 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 4750.–

< Nitrolian, Dry as soon as painted !

"playing card mat" for benedictine liquor >

Bénédictine

1910 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO (after)

CHF 860.–

Biscotines Union

1910 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 1400.–

Vermouth Martini, second authorised edition

1957 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

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Biscuiterie Union dans toutes les bonnes épiceries - Produit de suralimentation

1906 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

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Icons and logos

Many of his posters were so much appreciated by the public, and the process of identification between image and the brand was so strong that certain companies have kept his images as logos. These companies used Cappiello's creations for dozens of years, on multiple supports such as cards, blotters, metallic tin plaques and even on large posters in the Metro, creating the first brand universes.

Le Thermogène combat toux, grippe, douleurs rhumatismales

1925 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO (after)

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These logos have become Art Deco icons in French and Italian advertising. For example the spitting character in the Thermogene poster, The green devil of the Quina Maurin, the elephant who only smokes cigarettes rolled in Le Nil paper, the Campari jester or the bearded Russian for Relsky vodka.

Je ne fume que le Nil, papier à cigarettes

1912 – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 3460.–

Je ne fume que le Nil

1920 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO (after)

CHF 100.–

Le fumeur avisé ne fume que le Nil

1915 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 90.–

Le Nil, Je ne fume que le Nil, papiers à cigarettes

1920 circa – Leonetto CAPPIELLO

CHF 190.–

The Father of modern advertising

Cappiello produced nearly 550 advertising posters in his lifetime, for French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Swiss companies, producing many drawings, maquettes and characters.
He became the master of Art Deco and one of the world’s most important poster artists. He is now often called The Father of modern advertising.