GABY SIMS. 1927.

62x47 inches. H. Chachoin, Paris. Condition B+: repaired tears and discoloration in margins; foxing in image. A deceptively simple poster of a performer, depicted in pink, with her bright white eyes breaking through the incongruous color of her face. Almost in profile, she is arranged dramatically to one side, overlooking empty space that would have been imprinted with music hall particulars. Behind her, colors and forms add a shadowy depth to the image. Throughout his career Colin designed a large number of poster-portraits of performers. These fall into two distinct categories: Famous artists, like Damia, Solidor, Grock, Gardel and others, which were generally commissioned by record companies to help promote their stars. And, the second, which comprised virtually unknown performers, most of them women whom Colin, a tireless girl-chaser, had seduced using the promise of a poster! Gaby Sims obviously belongs to the second category.