LOUIS ICART (1888–1950)

TABAC BLOND — ILLUSION, 1940

Rare and Remarkable Original Colour Etching — Art Deco

Artist: Louis Icart (1888–1950)
Title: Tabac Blond, also known as Illusion (Tabac Blond)
Date: 1940
Technique: Original colour etching, incorporating additional printmaking techniques
Signature: Hand-signed in pencil by Louis Icart in the lower right margin
Condition: A — Very fine condition, subject to detailed examination
Bibliographic Reference: Holland, Catania & Isen, Louis Icart: The Complete Etchings, 5th edition, 2015, p. 228, plate no. 480.

An Exceptional Composition from the Art Deco Era

A particularly fascinating work by Louis Icart, Tabac Blond perfectly illustrates the artist's extraordinary mastery of feminine beauty, sensuality, and imagination.

Against a deep black background, a captivating blonde woman emerges in a graceful and sensual pose. Her nude figure, delicately rendered through subtle gradations of colour, appears to materialise from the smoke of a cigarette resting in an ashtray.

Here, Icart achieves a remarkable artistic feat: the smoke rises, stretches, and gradually transforms into a feminine silhouette, while the woman's abundant blonde hair unfolds in ethereal, swirling waves.

The striking contrast between the dark background, the luminous tones of her skin, and the delicate touches of red on her lips gives the composition an extraordinary visual intensity.

Between Art Deco, Sensuality and Surrealism

With Tabac Blond, Louis Icart moves beyond the traditional depiction of the elegant Parisian woman for which he became internationally renowned.

Here, the female figure becomes an apparition, an ephemeral vision born from a delicate wisp of smoke.

This poetic metamorphosis brings the composition close to the imaginative world of Surrealism, while retaining the exquisite draughtsmanship and refinement characteristic of Icart's finest original etchings.

The unusually elongated vertical format enhances the impression of elevation and weightlessness. The female figure appears suspended in space, creating a composition of astonishing modernity.

A Documented and Sought-After Work

Dated 1940, this etching belongs to Louis Icart's mature artistic period.

It is illustrated and documented as reference no. 480 in the catalogue raisonné Louis Icart: The Complete Etchings, compiled by William Holland, Clifford Catania and Nathan Isen.

Also known as Illusion (Tabac Blond), this composition appears in the auction archives of major international auction houses, including Christie's and Heritage Auctions.

With its daring subject, spectacular composition, and exceptional artistic execution, Tabac Blond represents a particularly appealing work for collectors of original Louis Icart etchings and Art Deco graphic art.

Confirmed Bibliographic Reference

Louis Icart (1888–1950) — Illusion (Tabac Blond), 1940

Listed as no. 480, page 228, in Louis Icart: The Complete Etchings, by William Holland, Clifford Catania and Nathan Isen, 5th edition, 2015.

The work is described by international auction houses as a colour etching, sometimes incorporating aquatint or drypoint techniques, depending on the catalogue description.

It is therefore more accurate to describe this work as an original colour etching, rather than a lithograph.

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