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Hello all.... please excuse the intrusion. I am certain I am on the wrong
list.
However, it appears interesting. The fact is that I am not an educator of
art;
I am simply an English conversation teacher residing in Tokyo.

I have a strong interest in art and am a collector of illustrated lithograph
menus
and hand painted pierrot (the French clown) postcards. Does anyone know of
a list that I can join for art lovers, collectors etc.?

I won't bother you again but would love to hear from individuals about an
extensive
collection that I have. I would like to exhibit, publish and share this
splendid collection
with the world. Living in Tokyo, I keep coming up empty handed in this
project. Recently,
my collection of Pierrot postcards was on an antique appraisal program so
perhaps I will
glean a few contacts through this. If you would like to check out my web
site on the collection,
either click the icon below or do an Internet search:
parisianartdiscovery.com

For those that are interested in knowing more or giving me feedback I have
copy and pasted the introduction page to the web site below.

Once again, I apologize for being off mark and perhaps intruding but I am a
little stumped on how to pursue this project. Any advice or feedback would
be most appreciated.

Wishing you good health and the joy of discovery,

Jason P. Smith
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Parisian Art Discovery

Recently Discovered Parisian Art Treasures
Stunning Illustrations, Fabulous Menus and hand
painted pierrot postcards.

Introduction by Jason P. Smith, Current Owner of the Collection

This web site is designed to introduce an extensive, vintage, one-of-a-kind
postcard collection and an illustrated, lithograph menu collection. Both
collections were compiled by the famous French mime of the Belle Epoque,
Georges Wague (1874 - 1964). Works by many of the same artists can be found
in both collections.

Wague petitioned friends, colleagues and associates to create the postcards
for him from 1901 through 1952. In his words they were French and foreign
artists, classical artists, official artists, wise men and wild men, bold
artists and poetic ones. He further describes them by saying, "As for my
precious little collection of illustrated postcards with original drawings
(a collection small in dimension, but important because of both the number
and the fame of the creators), I am indebted for the idea to Adolphe
Willette, another Pierrot in his life and his art. Willette had sent me a
postcard, a simple card issued by the P.T.T. (French Post Office) which he
had illustrated himself with a wonderful Pierrot. Later I requested all my
artist friends to do the same, imposing only one absolute condition: the
subject must always feature a Pierrot." There is original art by such
renowned artists as Emile Aubry, Yves Brayer, Charles Grandval, Jules
Alexandre Grun, Sacha Guitry, Maurice Milliere, Luc Albert Moreau, Lucien
Jonas, Moise Kisling, Louis Aston Knight, Charles Leandre, Francisque
Poulbot, William Van Hasselt, Jacques Villon, and Adolphe Willette - to
mention just a few, as well as by men and women with outstanding skill and
talent in other areas of the arts. The collection is absolutely
breath-taking in all its aspects and has captured both my mind and spirit.

The illustrated menus were designed for the Societe du Cornet, a fraternity
of artists, literati, connoisseurs, academics, musicians, high government
officials and other important Parisians who met regularly from 1896 to the
1950s. Wague was a prominent, esteemed member of this society for over 50
years, and at least 40 artists represented in the postcard collection were
also members. Monthly meetings were held in various restaurants and cafes,
and on each occasion an artist member of the Societe designed an elaborate,
fanciful illustration for the lavish menu. Members of the Societe du Cornet
included many distinguished French painters and illustrators whose works are
included in the collection, such as Grun, Leandre, Poulbot, Milliere, Jonas,
Willette, Maurice Neumont, Albert Michaut, Roedel, De Feure, Abel Truchet,
Louis Tinayre, Abel Faivre, Greilsamer, Misti, Henri Jamet, Armand Segaud,
Victor Clerice, Georges Villa, Carlegle and Charles Gir.

The Cornet Societe menu collection consists of 348 illustrations, while the
postcard collection has 168 separate original works, none of which is widely
known today. The entire collection's art work is exceptional and in
exemplary condition. The menu illustrations are primarily risqué creations
accompanied by personal and/or political satirical commentary whose subjects
were often the Cornet Societe members who presided over each meeting. The
medium of choice for most of the illustrations is chromolithography and they
reflect a wide variety of art styles associated with the milieu and the era,
ranging from Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Symbolism to Cubanism and beyond.
Many of the artists and illustrators represented in the two collections
lived and worked in Montmartre, the Northern area of Paris where Wague
himself resided, which was acclaimed as a center for artistic creativity.
Some were dynamic contributors to major historical art movements (such as
the Incoherents, the Hydropathess, the Decadents, and the Cubists), and many
were also active in producing posters, promotional art, and illustrations
for publications such as Le Rire, Le Mur, Le Courrier Francais, Les Quat’z
Arts, Les Hydropathes, Le Chat Noir, and Vanity Fair.

This historic art collection belonged to Georges Wague, an actor, teacher
and mime, who was famous for decades as the predominant Pierrot figure on
the French stage. Wague assembled, indexed and annotated the first 300
illustrations to commemorate the 300th meeting of the Societe, on January
25, 1933. Many of the illustrations include original sketches of Wague as
Pierrot, with affectionate salutations from the various artists and
illustrators. Both collections were passed on to Ms. Alice Tully, who
studied with Wague in Paris during the 1920s and 1930s. The book Georges
Wague, le Mime de la Belle Epoque by Tristan Remy is dedicated to Tully,
"one of George Wague’s most remarkable pupils." Ms. Tully, heir to the
Corning Glass Company, was a philanthropist and a lover and collector of
music and fine art. The Alice Tully Hall of Lincoln Center in New York is
her legacy to the world.

The collections were separated at Tully's estate auction after her death in
1994. The menu collection was sold to Jim Rua of Albany, New York, a
talented chef, restaurant owner and entrepreneur whose research and
dedication has added immensely to our knowledge of the Cornet Societe; I was
fortunate enough to acquire the postcard collection. In March, 2000, through
a series of inspiring and amazing encounters, I, Jason P. Smith, was also
able to obtain the menu collection, incredibly reuniting the two halves of
the original collection.

In the words of Bob Meringolo, an accomplished art dealer and good friend of
Jim Rua, "This reminds me of a love story where two lovers are separated by
a tragedy (in this instance, the death of Alice Tully) and against all odds
are rejoined at a later date to become whole once again. The stuff of poetry
and literature......." ENJOY!

© 2000 Jason P. Smith. Nothing from this web site may be used without the
express written consent of Jason P. Smith. email me at pierrot

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