David Dellepiane (1866–1932) was a French painter, lithographer and poster artist of Italian origin. In 1880, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts de Marseille, where he studied with Marius Guindon until 1885, followed by a brief stay in Genoa. After 1890, he lived in Paris, where he was influenced by the poster art of Alfons Mucha. Later, he worked under the direction of Jules Chéret, another well known poster artist, who taught him lithography. For a time, he also studied Japanese art.
Upon returning to Marseille, Dellepiane set up his first workshop along the canal, on a street that was home to many other artists, including Alfred Casile, Valère Bernard, René Seyssaud, Joseph Garibaldi and Eugène Giraud.
His first success came with a poster created in 1899 for the 25th centenary of the founding of Marseille, representing the legend of Protis and Gyptis. In 1903, the newly formed Provençal Tourist Office (Syndicat d’Initiative de Provence) held a competition to design a poster, which Dellepiane won. He worked regularly for the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée. He also designed posters for the Exposition coloniale de Marseille (1906) and the Exposition coloniale de Marseille (1922). In 1925, he decorated the Grand Hôtel in Juan-les-Pins.
A street in the 7th arrondissement of Marseille was named after him in 1937. Take a look at these amazing photos to see some of vintage posters designed by David Dellepiane.
Exposition Internationale d’Électricité, Marseille, 1908
Société Anonyme des Arts Graphiques, Genève, circa 1898
Genève Mode, August 15, 1899
Ville de Marseille, Fêtes du 25e Centenaire, 1899
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