Achille Mauzan

Achille Lucien Mauzan (1883–1952) was a French painter, illustrator, poster artist and sculptor whose career unfolded largely in Italy and Argentina. Born in Gap in the Hautes-Alpes, he studied painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon and moved to Italy in 1905, producing magazine illustrations, postcards and works in bronze and ceramic. In Turin he turned to the young film industry, creating a great many posters for silent films between 1909 and 1913.

From 1912 to 1917 he worked in Milan for Casa Ricordi, and during the First World War he designed postcards and posters for the national war-loan campaigns, including an Italian adaptation of the famous Lord Kitchener poster. He then worked for the printer and publisher Maga (1919–1923) and from 1924 ran his own poster agency with Angelo Morzenti. In 1927 he left for Buenos Aires, where he founded Editorial Affiches Mauzan and later joined the Cosmos advertising agency; his five years there left a deep mark on Argentine poster art. Over his career he produced some 2,000 posters in a humorous, brightly coloured style.

In 1932 he left Argentina to join his dying wife in Italy and in 1933 settled in Paris, where he worked for the Société Générale de Publicité and Paris-Affiches but produced only sporadically. During the Second World War he retired to his native Gap, devoting himself to painting, and in 1945 published a science-fiction novel. He died in Gap in 1952; a school in the town bears his name.