Cycles Brillant | 1925

Cycles Brillant, 1925, by Adolphe Mouron Cassandre

The poster depicts a stylised, dynamic image of a racing cyclist viewed from the front, rendered in a bold, geometric Art Deco style. The cyclist, shown in solid black with a yellow face and white goggles, is bent forward in an aerodynamic position over the handlebars of a bicycle with a yellow and brown frame. The figure is leaning into what appears to be a curve on a velodrome track, suggested by the brown curved shape in the bottom right containing the text "cycles Brillant". The entire composition is set against a cream background, with the artist's signature "A.M. CASSANDRE" visible on the curved brown element. The design brilliantly conveys speed and movement through its diagonal composition and streamlined forms.

In 1920s France, cycling was a popular professional sport and cultural phenomenon, with bicycle racing deeply embedded in the national identity. During this period, Europe maintained a strong cycling culture while in America bicycles were increasingly seen as children's toys. Cycles Brillant was one of many French bicycle manufacturers competing in a robust market that included brands like Peugeot, Alcyon, and others. This poster exemplifies the era's commercial advertising that celebrated modern technology and transportation. It was printed by Hachard & Cie in Paris and represents a perfect marriage of commerce and artistic expression, reflecting the optimism and forward-thinking aesthetic of the post-World War I period when Art Deco was emerging as the dominant design style following the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs.

Adolphe Mouron Cassandre (1901-1968) was one of the 20th century's most influential graphic designers. Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine to French parents, he moved to Paris as a teenager and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and Académie Julian. Initially aspiring to be a painter, he turned to commercial poster design at age 22, adopting the pseudonym "Cassandre". His distinctive style, influenced by Cubism and Surrealism, revolutionised advertising art. In 1926, he co-founded Alliance Graphique, an advertising agency serving diverse clients. Beyond poster design, Cassandre created celebrated typefaces including Bifur (1929), Acier Noir (1935), and Peignot (1937), and in his later years designed theatre sets and the iconic YSL logo for Yves Saint Laurent. His technical mastery of the airbrush and innovative compositions earned him international acclaim before his tragic suicide in 1968, following struggles with depression.