Cacao Van Houten - Red Head

There are certain poster images that transcend the medium in their beauty and importance; this is one such piece. Cacao Van Houten by Henri Privat-Livemont is acknowledged as one of the truly exceptional examples of Art Nouveau, an art movement popular during the Belle Epoque period of which there are very few true examples of in poster form. A red-haired beauty holds up the perfectly poured glass of Cacao Van Houten hot chocolate, steam floating upwards. Her copper-tinged tendrils curl like waves. Her eyes are closed in delight, and her floral headpiece snakes from her head down her body, guiding our eye around the image.

Henri Privat-Livemont (1861 - 1936) was a Belgian-born artist who began his career in interior design, which helps explain how he was able to bring Art Nouveau into the world of poster design. Unlike his contemporary, Alphons Mucha, Privat-Livemont worked in poster design for only a small portion of his career before turning to fine art painting, making his posters extremely scarce on the market today. Art Nouveau was an art movement in vogue for the small period of time from the 1880s until the outbreak of WWI. Deeply informed by nature, it focused on abstracted organic patterns and decorative forms as a break from the increased streamlining and hard lines of industrial design. It is often associated with other similar movements of the time in painting, furniture design, and literature like the Arts and Crafts, Symbolism, and Aesthetics movements.

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.