Cappiello Style Posters

Explore our world-leading Cappiello Style collection.

Known as the father of modern advertising, Leonetto Cappiello created a unique poster style that was widely imitated. Cappiello came to Paris from his native Italy in 1898, and quickly became famous for his caricatures of Parisian actresses. Shortly thereafter Cappiello began to create posters, using the simplicity and energy of Cheret and the caricature of Toulouse-Lautrec as his stylistic models.

Realizing that the boulevards of Paris were full of distractions, Cappiello rejected the fussy detail of Art Nouveau and focused on creating one simple image, often humorous or bizarre, which would immediately capture the viewer's attention and imagination. “Surprise," he wrote, "is the foundation of advertising; it is its necessary condition." His 1906 absinthe poster of a mischievous green devil on a dark black background marked the ascendancy of a style that would dominate poster art in Paris and beyond until Cassandre's first Art Deco poster in 1923.

The range of Cappiello's inventiveness was remarkable, as he created over 500 product posters. His caricature-based style strongly influenced  contemporaries Achille Mauzan in Italy and Jean D'Ylen in Paris. His advertising concept can be seen in product posters in styles as diverse as those of Federico Seneca and Sepo in Italy to Herbert Leupin and Donald Brun in Switzerland.