Achille Luciano Mauzan was born along the French Riviera in Mereuil, France, in 1883. As a young boy, Mauzan, the son of school teachers, already displayed clear talent in the arts, spending his days filling his workbooks with caricatures and lively illustrations. In the early 1900’s, the artist moved to Milan, all while the same time the world was witnessing the birth of cinema. While mainly versed in painting and sculpting, Mauzan quickly immersed himself in the new art and in a very short time began to monopolize almost all the poster work from the Italian film industry. Due to the speed at which cinematic posters had to be produced, Mauzan found the need to simplify the lithographic process. Rather than creating sketches or maquettes, Mauzan would engrave directly onto the limestone or zinc plate, showing no signs whatsoever of his inexperience in this difficult process.
1917, Stone Lithograph.
In 1917, Mauzan’s career escalated to the next level as he released his famous poster for Italian War Bonds. The image was a sensation overnight and essentially became the logo of the allies in the Great War. After the war ended, Mauzan returned to his love of advertising art, creating images for companies such as “Nestle,” “Fernet Branca,” and “Campari” in the 1920’s.
C. 1920, Stone Lithograph.
Stylistically, Mauzan shied away from the mainstream marketing tool of bright and cheery graphics. His images took a slightly darker and richer approach than most of his contemporaries in the Art Deco period, using heavy and overly emphasized facial and body features to warp his characters into some of the most brooding and emotionally expressive of the era. Exhibiting a twist of menace and sometimes a slight “spook” factor, Mauzan’s social approval continued to rise and he became a commissioned artist in high demand.
Bertozzi, c. 1930. Stone Lithograph. Available for purchase.
In 1923, he founded his own publishing house “Mauzan – Morzenti,” in Milan, Italy. It was at this publishing house that many young artists, including the well-known Gino Boccasile, got their start. Out of Mauzan – Morzenti came one of the artists’ greatest successes: his “Bertozzi” poster, a piece that highlights his clear talent and unique spirit as a great Art Deco illustrative artist.
A few years later, Mauzan moved to Buenos Aires and opened his second publishing house, “Affiches Mauzan.” It was in Argentina that much of the rest of his poster career took place, as he engrained himself in the South American art culture, where his reputation still remains in super stardom. Five years later, in 1932, Mauzan returned to Italy to be with his ill wife. Although he continued to produce posters sporadically, much of his luster and endurance in the art was gone, as many other deco artists dominated the markets’ attention.
Geniol, c. 1929. Stone Lithograph.
During the advertising gap of World War II, Mauzan retired from the poster business entirely, focusing solely on his first love: painting.
Although he designed hundreds of posters, much of his work is very difficult to find today. Unfortunately many of his pieces from his famed career overseas in Buenos Aires did not survive, while his pieces from his brief European career have been so heavily collected that access to them today is very limited.
