Donnet | 1928

Donnet, 1928, by Alexey Brodovitch

This striking Art Deco poster advertises Donnet automobiles with a sophisticated modernist design characteristic of 1920s graphic arts. The composition features a silhouetted couple in formal attire – the man in a top hat and coat, the woman in an elegant dress – observing a sleek Donnet automobile through a showroom window. The poster utilizes a bold colour scheme with black vertical bands framing the scene, while the main body employs soft beige and cream tones with subtle pink highlights. The automobile is rendered in light blue and white, creating a minimalist yet elegant representation. The word "DONNET" appears prominently at the top in striking orange-red typography that incorporates multiple outlines to create a three-dimensional effect. At the bottom right, the poster bears the signature "ATELIER - A.B." along with the printer information "imp. GRAU, NERFI & Cie, PARIS-LILLE."

Donnet was a significant French automobile manufacturer founded by Jérôme Donnet, who had initially made his fortune producing aircraft during World War I. In 1919, he purchased Automobiles Zedel and renamed the company Donnet-Zedel, dropping the Zedel part of the name in 1928. The company experienced considerable success in the mid-1920s, particularly with its Type G model featuring a 1098cc engine, which helped Donnet become France's fourth-largest car maker by 1927. This poster from 1928 represents one of the last advertisements created for the Donnet automotive brand during its prime, and shows the company's ambition to position itself in the luxury automobile market. The late 1920s was a pivotal period in automobile history, as cars were becoming more sophisticated and the industry was consolidating following a period of rapid growth. Unfortunately, like many automobile manufacturers of the era, Donnet would not survive the economic challenges of the early 1930s and ceased production in 1934.

Alexey Brodovitch (1898-1971) was a Russian-born designer who would go on to revolutionize American magazine design as the art director of Harper's Bazaar from 1934 to 1958. Before his influential American career, Brodovitch worked as a graphic designer in Paris from 1920 until 1930, where he created this Donnet poster. Having fled Russia after the revolution, Brodovitch found himself in Paris as an émigré where he initially worked painting houses before connecting with other Russian artists and eventually designing backdrops for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. During his Paris period, he absorbed influences from major art movements including Constructivism, Dadaism, Bauhaus design, and Surrealism, which informed his distinctive style seen in this poster. In 1930, shortly after creating this poster, Brodovitch moved to the United States where he would establish his legendary career, eventually becoming known for his innovative layouts, his pioneering use of white space, photography, and typography, and his mentorship of photographers like Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. His design philosophy, often summarized by his directive to "Astonish me," transformed magazine design and established him as one of the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century.