Jean Barrez

Jean Barrez became well-known under his pseudonym Joe Bridge. Barrez/Bridge worked primarily as a poster painter, often for sporting events. He was born in New York but worked in France. He performed numbers in humorous music hall and parallel produced drawing posters and collaborated in the satirical press of the time. In 1922, he founded his own advertising studio. During World War II, he fled to London. Upon return, he taught drawing and joined the Independent Union of Journalist Designers. In 1947, he became the Union’s president. Barrez was also the founder of the philanthropic association République de Montmartre in 1920, which had the aims of mutual aid and conviviality and is still existing today.

The Poster for the Maori Tournée in France was created for a rugby match on December 26, 1926, in which New Zealand beat France 12:3. The motif was apparently used for other advertising posters for rugby games. It is possible that not all of his designs were actually realized. A Poster for Rowing is only confirmed for an event in 1948. The Affiche, Joueur de Balle - probably a soccer player - was only included in the last version of the catalog for the art competitions. Bridge/Barrez later also designed a poster for the 1938 World Cup in France. The abbreviation “(p.)” behind the titles of his works in the catalog indicates that the posters were not submitted as graphics but as paintings.