René Gruau, Dior Eau Sauvage, circa 1980

René Gruau (1909–2004)
Dior Eau Sauvage, circa 1980
Ink and gouache on paper
Studio stamp in the lower right corner
Preparatory work for the Dior Eau Sauvage poster
45 x 41 cm
Provenance: René Gruau Estate
RENÉ GRUAU (1909–2004)
René Gruau was born in 1909 in Rimini to an Italian father and a French mother, who gave him his artist’s name. When his parents separated, he was forced to work to support himself. He gave up his plans to become an architect and began his career as a fashion illustrator in 1924. Self-taught, he took up fashion drawing at the age of 15, a pursuit to which he devoted himself for several years: “As far back as I can remember, I’ve always had a pencil in my hand; drawing was a real obsession; it was also the only thing I knew how to do; so I tried my hand at illustrating stories and novel covers, mustered up my courage, and went to show them to the editorial staff of the journals and magazines I knew.

Gruau moved to Paris in 1928 and began working for magazines such as *Le Figaro* and the hat magazine *Marianne*. Around that time, he met the young Christian Dior, with whom he became friends. His collaborations with women’s magazines multiplied: Gruau illustrated, notably, for Vogue, Fémina, Marie-Claire, Silhouettes, and L’Officiel de la couture. Among other things, he drew designs by Balenciaga, Fath, Piguet, Givenchy, Molyneux, and Rochas. For several years, René Gruau devoted himself to fashion illustration, inspired in particular by the designs of his two friends, Christian Dior and Jacques Fath. In 1947, he turned to advertising and created one of his first advertising illustrations for the Miss Dior perfume. Ten other fragrance creations would follow, including Diorama, Diorissimo, and Eau Sauvage.

Christian Dior gave Gruau carte blanche, granting him the utmost artistic freedom in his advertising creations: the artist truly flourished in this role. He thus devoted himself more and more to advertising as fashion magazines increasingly gave prominence to photography. He created numerous campaigns in the fields of perfumery, fashion, and cosmetics, constantly reinventing French elegance. To achieve this, Gruau explains: “I sometimes make 30 sketches before arriving at the final drawing; first, fantasy sketches, then composition sketches, and next, I bring in a model and begin sketching from life...” Ultimately, it’s a very complex process.

On this subject, Fabienne Falluel explains: her work begins with “preliminary sketches,” exploratory drawings intended to capture the central idea. René Gruau describes this stage as “outline.” He thus produces about ten sketches, either in 6B pencil—the softest lead, which allows for great flexibility and thus increased speed—or in charcoal, which he can then erase with his finger or redraw. At this stage, both techniques—pencil and charcoal—are used equally. Next comes the “sketch from life”: the presence of a model allows him to capture movement and form and to visualize the basic idea. According to René Gruau, this moment is “one of intense tension” and requires great physical effort, followed by a period of rest. These are most often black-and-white sketches. After capturing the essence of the drawing, René Gruau reveals: “I let my imagination run wild.” On drawing paper—sometimes Canson, most often white—he begins the final piece using India ink, gouache, or watercolor. The final stage comes only after this long process and takes shape on heavy Canson paper or cardstock to become “the drawing,” which is then reproduced in print.

In 1949, René Gruau created his first poster for Rouge Baiser, a lipstick developed by Paul Baudecroux in 1927. He subsequently expanded on the theme and created several advertisements. In his drawings, he always depicts a refined woman, both elegant and sensual: “A sense of elegance is, as we know, to lose oneself,” says Patrick Mauriès, “and Gruau’s images always bear witness, in one of their facets, to a lost world—that world which suits them so perfectly that they bear, as one might have said in the Middle Ages, its ‘signature.’”

The advertising illustrations for Rouge Baiser left a lasting impression and became iconic. Gruau also created several advertising posters for perfumes and cosmetics by Balmain, Jacques Griffe, Lucien Lelong, Jacques Fath, Elizabeth Arden, Payot, Peggy Sage, and Givenchy. For several seasons, the artist was tasked with bringing to life the campaigns for the legendary Parisian cabarets, the Lido and the Moulin Rouge. In 1961, he also designed the costumes and sets for an opera buffa, *La Belle de Paris*, staged at the Opéra-Co

Ref: GFWMC5OG0C