Georges Villa

Georges Villa was a designer, cartoonist, engraver, lithographer, wood carver and illustrator. He studied at the École des Beaux Arts and the Académie Julian in Paris. He was an excellent portraitist, which is why he was invited to Russia by the Grand Duke Vladimir, uncle of Tsar Nicolas II, to portray Russian officers. In 1908 he took part in a Russian archaeological expedition to Egypt. The son of a general, Villa was an air force pilot during World War I.

Back in France he began a new career as an illustrator doing mainly cartoons. He also illustrated books including works by Anatole France, Theophile Gautier, Edgar Allen Poe and Louys Pierre. In the 1920’s Villa was part of the Parisian Année Folles (Crazy Years) and became known for his caricatures and portraits as well as his erotic drawings using charcoal and pastel. Many of Villa’s outstanding illustrations can be found in limited edition collectors’ books, including 12 erotic lithographs to accompany the poetry of Edmond Haraucourt, Poemes hysteriques, an eroticized parody of the poems of Victor Hugo. Georges Villa cut his own copper and stone plates for his engravings. Villa illustrated 26 menus between 1925 and 1964 and painted a “masterpiece” Pierrot postcard for Wague in 1930.

He spent most of his life in Montmartre where he was a well-known portrait artist whose subjects included aviation, fencing, gastronomy and aristocratic ladies of the 18th century. Between 1944 and 1946 he did illustrations of Montmartre songs including Avec les lorettes, Mimi Pinson et Pierrot and eventually wrote a novel. Villa was made Knight of the Legion of Honor.

His album Haut les masques (Off with the masks) consisted of 2 volumes of 79 and 70 pages, respectively, with caricatures of well-known fencers. Short accompanying lyrics were contributed by Armand Massard and Roger Ducret. The work was printed in a limited edition of 1,000 copies, 100 of which were signed deluxe copies on tinted parchment. The editor was Léon Delevoye, head of the magazine L’Escrime et le Tir in Rouen. Three drawings were exhibited in Paris in 1924, allegedly among them one showing Candido Sassone, an Italian fencing master. His career was interrupted by World War I. In 1925 Sassone went to Argentina and taught fencing with great success.