Bitter Campari - Medium Varnish

Bitter Campari is a French liquor advertisement from 1921 by the iconic poster artist, Leonetto Cappiello. This rare poster features Cappiello's signature style of a bright dynamic figure floating on a black background. The clown cleverly emerges from the orange as it is peeled, with Campari in hand.

Gaspar Campari first produced Bitter Campari in 1860 in Novara, Italy. The liquor falls under the category of "Bitters," which is traditionally prepared as a mixture of water, alcohol, and botanical extracts, in this case, an orange peel. Bitters were originally developed as patent medicines, but are now used as digestifs. The drink is colored with carmine dye that gives the drink its unique red coloring.

In 1904, Campari began to produce its liquor for overseas export. Advertising campaigns were developed to promote the brand. Of the many Campari poster created, this 1921 poster by Leonetto Cappiello is one of the most well-known images and is highly sought after by collectors. The poster was originally created in several sizes. This is the Medium version and it has been varnished and printed on heavy weight paper, likely for use outdoors.

Leonetto Cappiello (1875-1942) was an Italian poster artist who worked in Paris. He is known for modernizing advertising design for the 20th Century. His compositions are uncomplicated and often feature a graceful figure with an oversized rendition of the product against a simple color background. The typography is often minimized to be as direct and short as possible. This innovation allowed for the advertising to be eye-catching and understood at a moments’ glance. It was ideal for the fast paced travel and attention of busy city life.

To learn more about the career of Cappiello, please follow this link: https://postergroup.com/blogs/the-ross-art-group-blog/for-the-love-of-cappiello

This is an Original Vintage Poster. It is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed and in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.