Charles Loupot

Charles Loupot (20 July 1892 – 18 October 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. Back at home Loupot resumed designing, and in 1916 his designs were being published in 'La feuille d'Avis de Lausanne'. 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. 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. Loupot was chosen as one of the four official poster artists to represent the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (French: Exposition internationale des arts décoratfs et industriels modernes).