A poster created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), advertising the Moulin Rouge, has sold at the top of its estimate at an auction in the US.
The rare lithograph made $50,000 at Heritage Auctions' 20th century design signature auction on June 13.
 The Moulin Rouge reserved a seat for Lautrec every night |
Lautrec created the work in 1892 to advertise the famous Paris cabaret, which had opened three years earlier.
Many other artists had turned down the job of designing the cabaret's posters, before Lautrec became involved.
L'Anglais au Moulin Rouge portrays an Englishman talking with the cabaret dancers, to their apparent displeasure. It was one of several posters produced by the French artist for the cabaret - the work's price confirmation of their popularity with art and poster collectors alike.
Indeed, even during his short lifetime the posters were among the artist's most famous works, with the Moulin Rouge permanently reserving a seat for him and regularly displaying his paintings.
Posters represent the more affordable end of Lautrec's works - his La blanchisseuse oil painting sold for $22.4m in 2005 - a record for the artist.
Poster collectors should also take a look at Paul Fraser Collectibles' collection - we have a rare campaign poster from John F Kennedy's successful run for office in 1960. Priced at £4,000, it is a wonderful piece of political history.
The auction also featured a rare 1952 cabinet, produced by Italian architect Gio Ponti and painter Piero Fornasetti, which sold for $22,500.
Paul Fraser Collectibles will continue to bring you all the latest from the world of rare posters over the coming months, so make sure you check back here regularly.
