Christian Bérard 1902-1949

Christian Bérard (1902-1949), a painter, fashion designer, interior decorator, theatre decorator and costume designer, in a word a versatile and gifted artist, led a bohemian and social life. The relative oblivion into which he fell after his death contrasts singularly with the dazzling success he achieved during his lifetime. “Bébé” Bérard – as he was nicknamed – put his talent at the service of Roland Petit and Jean Cocteau as well as Jean-Louis Barrault and Louis Jouvet, of Vogue magazine as well as Harper’s Bazaar. As an arbiter of taste, he advised Robert Piguet as well as Elsa Schiaparelli and Christian Dior, and was the set designer for the Théâtre de la mode (1945). His success in illustration and decoration (for the Noailles and Polignac families) led him to neglect easel painting, for which he had been prepared at the Ranson Academy (under the direction of Édouard Vuillard and Maurice Denis). This book aims to review the life and work (in all its dimensions) of the artist, focusing on his “neo-humanist” paintings, but especially his portraits, which were hailed by the critics at the time.