Georges Barbier | Art Déco painter

Born in Nantes France on October 10 1882, Barbier [1882-1932] was 29 years old when he mounted his first exhibition in 1911 and was subsequently swept to the forefront of his profession with commissions to design theatre and ballet costumes, to illustrate books, and to produce haute couture fashion illustrations.

For the next 20 years Barbier led a group from the Ecole des Beaux Arts who were nicknamed by Vogue Magazine as "The Knights of the Bracelet" - a tribute to their fashionable and flamboyant mannerisms and style of dress. Included in this elite circle were Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Pierre Brissaud, Paul Iribe, Georges Lepape and Charles Martin. During his career Barbier also turned his hand to jewellery, glass and wallpaper design, wrote essays and many articles for the prestigious Gazette du Bon Ton. In the mid 1920's he worked with Erte to design sets and costumes for the Folies Bergere and in 1929 he wrote the introduction for Erte's acclaimed exhibition and achieved mainstream popularity through his regular appearances in L'Illustation magazine. Sadly Barbier passed away in 1932 at the very pinnacle of his success.