Bernard Villemot (1911,

Trouville-sur-Mer Trouville-sur-Mer (, literally ''Trouville on Sea''), commonly referred to as Trouville, is a city of 4,603 inhabitants in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Trouville-sur-Mer borders Deauville across the R ...

– 1989) was a French graphic artist known primarily for his iconic advertising images for

Orangina Orangina () is a lightly carbonated beverage made from carbonated water, 12% citrus juice (10% from concentrated orange, 2% from a combination of concentrated lemon, concentrated mandarin, and concentrated grapefruit juices), as well as 2% ora ...

Bally Shoe Bally is a Swiss luxury fashion house, established in 1851 by Carl Franz Bally and his brother Fritz in Schönenwerd, Solothurn, as Bally & Co. Historically known for its shoes, the house also specializes in bags, accessories, and ready-to-wear ...

Perrier Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled water, bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle. Perrier w ...

, and

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...

. He was known for a sharp artistic vision that was influenced by photography, and for his ability to distill an advertising message to a memorable image with simple, elegant lines and bold colors.When It Comes To Posters, Collectors Can'T Afford To Get Hung Up On The Masters
Pqasb.pqarchiver.com (25 September 1988). Retrieved 20 October 2011.

Biography

From 1932 to 1934, he studied in Paris with artist Paul Colin,Villemot (1911–1989) – Les Arts Décoratifs – Site officiel
Lesartsdecoratifs.fr. Retrieved 20 October 2011. who was considered a master of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

. From 1945 to 1946, Villemot prepared posters for the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

. In the late 1940s, he also began a famous series of travel posters for Air France that would continue for decades. In 1949, Villemot's works were exhibited with those of his contemporary poster artist

Raymond Savignac Raymond Savignac, often just abbreviated to "Savignac", was a French graphic artist famous for his commercial posters. He was born on November 6, 1907 in Paris, and died on October 30, 2002 in Trouville-sur-Mer (Calvados), aged 94. His work is d ...

at the Gallery of Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1953, Villemot began designing logos and posters for the new soft drink Orangina, and over time these works would become some of his best known. In 1963, the Museum of

Decorative Arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usual ...

in Paris held an exhibition of his works. By the end of his life in 1989, he was known as one of the last great poster artists, and many collectors and critics consider him to be the "painter-laureate of modern

commercial art Commercial art is the art of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art uses a variety of platforms (magazines, websites, apps, television, etc.) for viewers with the intent of prom ...

." Since his death in 1989, his memorable images have been increasingly sought after by collectors. At least three books have been published that survey his art: "Les affiches de Villemot," by Jean-Francois Bazin (1985); "Villemot: l’affiche de A à Z," by Guillaume Villemot (2005); and "Embracing an icon: the posters of Bernard Villemot," by George H. Bon Salle (2015).WorldCat
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villemot, Bernard 1911 births 1989 deaths People from Trouville-sur-Mer French graphic designers French poster artists Académie Julian alumni