Sepo (Severo Pozzati) 1895–1983 Noveltex / Pour le Soir vintage poster
Caption Brief: Utilizing Art Deco as a launching pad to examine the unspoken masquerade of nocturnal engagements, Sepo makes it clear that this formalwear can stand on its own with sleek flair and razor-sharp elegance. But it’s the essentially featureless visage that provides the visual hook: Broken down into geometric patterns and two-faced shadings, Sepo cunningly envisions the mask of socialization. Teasingly, he tilts the “s” in “soir” to give the impression that things are just slightly awry and not quite as they appear. Although Sepo’s affiliation with Noveltex began around 1923, this poster gives printing credit to the artist’s advertising agency Idea, which wasn’t founded until 1932.
c. 1935
58⅞ h × 38½ w in (150 × 98 cm)
Sepo, Saint-Oven
Provenance: Collection of William Crouse
Exhibited: Art Deco: Commercializing the Avant-Garde, 28 September 2023 - 25 February 2024, Poster House, New York | Art Deco: The Golden Age of Illustration, 31 August 2025 - 29 March 2026, Sarasota Art Museum, Florida
Condition: Cond B: with creases, cracking to ink, repaired tears, replaced paper, touch-ups and abrasions. Work has not been examined out of frame but is fully visible. Framed behind acrylic measuring 66 × 45.5 × 1.5 inches.
Literature: The Art Deco Poster, Crouse, p. 155; Weill/Art Deco, p.183; PAI-XXIX, 619
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Caption Brief: Utilizing Art Deco as a launching pad to examine the unspoken masquerade of nocturnal engagements, Sepo makes it clear that this formalwear can stand on its own with sleek flair and razor-sharp elegance. But it’s the essentially featureless visage that provides the visual hook: Broken down into geometric patterns and two-faced shadings, Sepo cunningly envisions the mask of socialization. Teasingly, he tilts the “s” in “soir” to give the impression that things are just slightly awry and not quite as they appear. Although Sepo’s affiliation with Noveltex began around 1923, this poster gives printing credit to the artist’s advertising agency Idea, which wasn’t founded until 1932.
c. 1935
58⅞ h × 38½ w in (150 × 98 cm)
Sepo, Saint-Oven
Provenance: Collection of William Crouse
Exhibited: Art Deco: Commercializing the Avant-Garde, 28 September 2023 - 25 February 2024, Poster House, New York | Art Deco: The Golden Age of Illustration, 31 August 2025 - 29 March 2026, Sarasota Art Museum, Florida
Condition: Cond B: with creases, cracking to ink, repaired tears, replaced paper, touch-ups and abrasions. Work has not been examined out of frame but is fully visible. Framed behind acrylic measuring 66 × 45.5 × 1.5 inches.
Literature: The Art Deco Poster, Crouse, p. 155; Weill/Art Deco, p.183; PAI-XXIX, 619
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
