127 - Léon Bénigni (Paris 1892 - 1948 Paris)

Léon Bénigni (Paris 1892 - 1948 Paris) Elegant Ladies, 1928 mixed media/paper 36,2 x 27 cm signed Léon Benigni, dated 1928 SCHÄTZPREIS / ESTIMATE °€ 800 - 1200 STARTPREIS / STARTING PRICE °€ 800 Léon Benigni was born on April 20, 1892, in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Around 1910, he lived in Hanover, where he worked as a bank clerk. Following the First World War, he established himself in Paris from 1918 onwards as a decorator, set designer, and fashion illustrator. Alongside colleagues such as Benito, Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Georges Barbier, and Francis Jourdain, he soon became one of the key illustrators of a new, elegant fashion style influenced by Art Deco. Benigni worked for numerous French and international magazines, including Vogue, Frou-Frou, Fantasio, Femina, Modes et Travaux, L’Officiel, Art Goût Beauté, Art et Industrie, Harper’s Bazaar, Die Dame, Elegante Welt, and La Donna. He designed numerous covers and full-page fashion plates—particularly for Femina during the late 1920s and early 1930s—and created over 90 covers for L’Officiel between the early 1930s and the mid-1940s. His drawings and lithographs showcased designs from leading Parisian fashion houses and couturiers, including Jeanne Lanvin, Jean Patou, Marcel Rochas, Elsa Schiaparelli, Lucien Lelong, Jacques Fath, Nina Ricci, the House of Worth, and Cristóbal Balenciaga. In addition, Benigni created advertisements and travel posters for department stores such as La Samaritaine, Le Bon Marché, Le Printemps, and Le Louvre; for brands like Cadillac and Ford; and for textile and cosmetics companies. Characteristic of Benigni’s work are the slender, elegantly posed female figure, precise contours, flat areas of color, and a blend of contemporary fashion trends with decorative sophistication. His illustrations serve as significant documents of international fashion and advertising culture, bridging the worlds of Art Deco, the luxury industry, and visual modernism. Léon Benigni died in Marseille in January 1948. PLEASE NOTE: The purchase price consists of the highest bid plus the buyer's premium, sales tax and, if applicable, the fee of artists resale rights and platform fee. In the case of normal taxation (marked ° at the estimate), a premium of 24% is added to the highest bid. The mandatory sales tax is added to the sum of the highest bid, the buyer's premium and platform fee. This amounts to 13% for paintings, drawings, graphic works and sculptures and 20% for photographs and all other items. The buyer's premium amounts to 28% in case of differential taxation. The sales tax is included in the differential taxation.