Paul Colin

Paul Colin was a graphic designer, painter and decorator, who primarily was known for his poster designs. He was especially impressed by the revue dancer Josephine Baker, and designed numerous posters for her performances, sets and costumes, as well as illustrations for her memoirs. His style was Art Deco.

From 1905 he first studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Nancy, then in Paris. In World War I he was awarded the Croix de Guerre. For almost 50 years he ran his own school for commercial art. After World War II he turned to painting and sculpture. In 1964 he took part in the documenta III exhibition. Colin was appointed Commandeur de la Légion d’honneur and Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres. In the photo section of the catalog of the 1948 art exhibition, Colin’s submitted poster is confused with that of Paul Fromentier. In the text part it is titled Poster for Universal Games. In fact, it was the poster for the IXe Jeux universitaires mondiaux, Paris, 1947 in the format of about 160 x 120 cm. These games were a predecessor of the future Universiade.