Seasons Greetings #2- Drawing by French Painter Marcel Vertes

Season's Greetings # 1 is a greeting card featuring an original drawing by the illustrator and artist Marcel Vertès. The work displays Vertès' signature at the bottom right. The work is based on wax crayons, and ink for the delicate black outlines and composition of the primary character and secondary figures.

Season's Greetings is a greeting card featuring an original drawing by the illustrator and artist Marcel Vertès. The work is presented unfolded. The work is based on wax crayons, and ink for the delicate black outlines and details of the six elves.

Legend has it that Christmas elves work all year round in Santa's factory, making presents and helping him with the preparations before visiting houses to play all sorts of tricks and mischief after dark.
In this variation on Christmas elves, Vertès presents them as winged and feminine, in red and green outfits, preparing greeting cards. Two of the elves finish painting the words “Seasons” and “Greetings”.

Vertès presents a whimsical interpretation of the Christmas card tradition.

Marcel Vertès, was born on August 10, 1895, in Budapest, Hungary.

After the war, Vertès settled in Paris, where he enrolled as a student at the renowned Academy Julian. Immersed in the vibrant atmosphere of the Latin Quarter, he became an integral part of the Parisian art scene, and his artistic style evolved to become more light and lyrical. He focused on various mediums, including illustration, painting, and lithography, with his first solo exhibition in New York taking place two years after his initial visit in 1935.

With the onset of World War II, Vertès fled the Nazi invasion of Paris and returned to New York with his wife, subsequently dividing his time between the two cities. After a decade, he returned to his cherished Paris, where he spent the remainder of his life.

During his time in the United States, Vertès became a consultant to the Producers and Set Designers of the acclaimed 1952 film "Moulin Rouge," centred around the life of artist Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec. His expertise in forgery, which he had utilised earlier to earn money for his education, played a role in the film, where his hand was featured as Toulouse-Lautrec's, and his images were used with proper credit. Vertès also made significant contributions to the film's British production credits, particularly as the Colour Production Designer and Costume Designer, leading to a shared British Academy Film Award for Best Costume Design.

Additionally, Vertès left his mark on the artistic landscape by creating original murals in the Café Carlyle at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City, as well as in the Peacock Alley of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, also located in New York. In 1956, he designed sets for the entire Ringling Bros.-Barnum & Bailey Circus show. His talent extended beyond visual arts, as he served as an illustration contributor for renowned publications like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. In 1961, he was part of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival and was honoured as an officer of the Legion of Honour in 1955 for his work in designing ballets at the Paris Opera.

On October 31, 1961, at the age of 66, Marcel Vertès passed away in Paris, leaving behind a rich legacy of artistic achievements and a profound impact on the art world.

REFERENCE NUMBER: LU654312400302
PERIOD: Mid-20th Century
CONDITION: Excellent
MEASUREMENTS: Height: 16.88" Width: 20.75" Depth: 0.88"
COUNT: 1
MATERIAL: Wax Crayon, Ink
CREATOR: Marcel Vertès