341

Lot 341: French Grand Guignol Poster

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:1,700.00 - 2,000.00 USD
Lot 341: French Grand Guignol Poster
<b>PAUL COLIN (1892-1986)</b> <p> <b>341. Destination Inconnue.</b> 1928.
14 1/2 x 22 1/8 in./36.8 x 56.2 cm
Imp. H. Chachoin, Paris
Cond B-/Slight tears at folds and edges.
“Horror reigned at the Grand Guignol and people flocked in, not knowing or caring much about the plot of the play they were about to see, but taking comfort in the certainty that they were going to be frightened out of their seats” (Colin, p. 10). And seeing as the St. Georges Theater’s production of "Destination Unknown” was directed in part by former Guignol director, Camille Choissy, audiences could certainly expect to receive more of the same thrills and chills. And Colin’s eerily erotic "A tisket, a tasket, a nude in a casket” poster no doubt helped to lure lovers of the macabre in droves. Though no plot traces could be dug up for this "Unknown,” the poster tantalizes, yet reveals very little. Colin divides the surface into three clearly delineated areas: At right, "Laughter,” indicated by glowing violet candlelight (though how the directing team of Choisy and Albert milked comedy out of that atmosphere is more unbelievable than any ghost story you’re likely to hear); at center, is the previously mentioned cadaver in the altogether; and third, a drooling fiend in shadowy black-and-white called upon to represent "Terror.” Even with all these hints, so many questions remain: Is this woman dead or merely in some somnambulant state? Is their some sort of ghoulish necrophilic subplot? And how on earth did they make any of this funny? But the design certainly piques one’s morbid curiosity, creating a desire for more, which is precisely what any posterist worth his salt is supposed to do. Rare!
<b>Est: $1,700-$2,000.</b>
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