Automobile Club De France 1901

Georges-Antoine Rochegrosse started painting with Alfred Dehodencq. He attended the Julian Academy in Paris in 1871 under the tutelage of Joseph Lefebvre and Gustave Boulanger and finished his studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Early on in his career he focused on historical painting, symbolism and later Orientalism. He also made a name for himself as illustrator and poster designer. In 1892 he was awarded the Legion of Honour. He met the love of his life Marie Leblon in 1894 in Algeria. They married in 1896 and she was his muse and his model. She was also the powerful model for this poster. The Automobile Club of France (ACF) is a men’s club founded on 12 November 1895 by Albert de Dion, Paul Meyan, Edmond Récopé and Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt. It is the world’s first Automobile Club and was initially located in a villa in the Bois de Boulogne but in 1898 it moved to Place de la Concorde, where it still exists to this day. The Club offers its members several lounges, a swimming pool, a gym, a library containing more than 50,000 references, a movie theatre, a hair salon, a travel agency, bars and dining rooms. Numerous activities are also offered at the club and it boasts a private, male membership of about 2,200 members. Female members are not accepted to the club but female guests and wives are welcome in the club by invitation only. The origins of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the French Grand Prix can be found in the actions of the Club as well as the hosting of the Exposition International d’Automobiles (in this case the 2nd edition). Printing House J. Barreau, 16 Rue Littré, Paris Lithograph Lemaire