Pneu Velo Baudou La Sirène
Lithography on paper
The Italian/French Leonetto Cappiello was a self-taught poster art designer and painter with no formal training. He is considered a ‘father of modern advertising’ due to his innovations in poster design. His use of vibrant bold figures popping out of dark backgrounds was startling and he captured the essence of the faster pace of the twentieth century in his work. Cappiello started designing posters for the printer Pierre Vercasson (Paris) in 1900.
Baudou, a tyre company in Bordeaux, named their popular bicycle tyre ‘La Sirène’ and Cappiello created a now famous sea siren to promote it. Adorned only in demure wisps of hair and seaweed, she holds her bicycle tyre treasure aloft to encompass the image of the Baudou factory on the horizon.
Printing house Vercasson, 6 Rue Martel, Paris