René Gruau (
1909–2004) was an Italian fashion illustrator, whose distinctive “
New Look” of the 1940s revolutionized haute couture, theater, art, and commercial design. Born in Rimini, Gruau moved to Paris with his mother at the age of three. By 14, he was supporting himself by selling drawings to fashion magazine
Lidel, and later found work as an illustrator for
Femina, Marie Claire, and
Vogue.In 1947, Christian Dior commissioned him to create the Miss Dior advertisement, an ad which garnered international attention, and launched Gruau’s career. Featuring his now-famous dramatic, minimal lines and bold, block colors, the image combined Dior’s designs with Gruau’s modern twist on the old-style graphic illustrations of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Eastern painting techniques.
In 1948, he traveled to the United States to work for
Harper’s Bazaar and
Vogue, before becoming the exclusive artist for
Flair. Also during this time, he produced ads for Lido, Moulin Rouge, and Bemberg.
Over the next several decades, Gruau was employed by some of the most familiar names in haute couture, such as
Balenciaga, Givenchy, Pierre Balmain, and
Lanvin. His illustrations were featured in every major fashion magazine of the era, including
ELLE, Madame Figaro, and
L’Officiel de la Couture. In 1959, he created the enormously influential poster for Federico Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita.
During his life, Gruau held shows in major museums around the world, including at the Paris Musée du Costume and the Musée de la Publicite. His works are also part of the permanent collections of institutions such as the Louvre in Paris.
© 2020. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by René Gruau or assignee. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only
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| Mr. René Gruau |
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| Le chapeau bleu 1949 |
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| Relax 1957 |
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| Bobino poster, 1960 |
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| Cover for International Textiles No. 341-2, 1961 |
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Cover for International Textiles No. 345, 1961
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Cover for International Textiles No. 377, 1964
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| Courrèges 1965 |
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| Pourquoi pas! poster, 1966 |
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| Harper’s Bazaar 1972 |
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| Mode Italienne 1972 |
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| Diorissimo 1978 |
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| Chanel Echarpe Rouge 1979 |
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| Woman in a Black Hat and Glove 1980 |
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| Femme à l'oeillet poster, 1981 |
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| Van Cleef & Arpel 1982 |
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| La cigarette 1983 |
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| Elegante au foulard 1985 |
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| Capeline Noire 1986 |
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Robe bar, Dior 1987
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| Over the Shoulder 1990 |
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| Robe jaune 1990 |
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| Tour Eiffel 1995 |
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Blizzand, n.d.
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Dior Parfun, n.d.
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Élégante, n.d.
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Femme Galiera, n.d.
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Home Slider Girl, n.d.
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Miss Dior, n.d.
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Rouge Baiser, n.d.
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Rouge rouge, n.d.
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Sans titre, n.d.
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Sofa Rouge, n.d.
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