Achille Lucien Mauzan was born on the French Riviera, but moved to Italy in 1905, known as a decorative illustrator designing during the Art Deco movement, though he also painted and sculpted. After a period of study in the École des Beaux-Arts at Lyon, France, Mauzan divided his life between Milan, Paris and Buenos Aires. Between the years 1920 and 1940, the period between the wars, he used forms and materials under the influence of the avant-garde cubists. He was also an illustrator of posters and postcards. During his career as a poster printer and designer, Mauzan designed over 2,000 posters, using a style marked by humor and brilliant colors for advertisement and events and over 1,000 postcard images. He made several important posters for the Italian film industry in Turin, and then went to work at Ricordimusic publishing from 1912 to 1917. Later, from 1919 to 1923 he works in the Magical press. In 1924 in Milan he establishes with Morzenti his own publishing house, the Mauzan-Morzenti Agency. In 1926 he travels to Argentina and sets up the "Affiches Mauzan" publishing house where many of his greatest works were created and where he worked until 1932. Within those years, Gino Boccasile, one of his students in Milan, travels to Argentina at his insistence and sets up studio. Mauzan is also noted for designing several war posters including an adaptation of the famous Lord Kitchener poster.
Biography
1905: Travels to Italy, where he settled and started working. His productions are essentially illustrations of magazines, postcards, bronze or plaster ceramics. After moving to Turin he turned to production to the newly formed film industry. As an outstanding lithographer, he produces about 1500 posters of films between 1909 and 1913, including posters of silent films.
1914 to 1918: : he designed postcards and posters on loan.
1919 to 1923: works for Maga printing and publisher.
1924 to 1927: founded with Angelo Morzenti his own publishing house for his posters: Agence Mauzan-Morzenti,.
1927: Departure to Buenos Aires, where he organized an exhibition, promoting its own talent. He founded his own company, Editorial Affiches Mauzan, and produced numerous posters. It thus reaches the figure of 2,000 posters produced and published.
1930: through his talent, he joined with Cosmos advertising agency, "the largest advertising agency in South America", and created a new department: Nuevos Affiches Cosmos.
1932: he leaves Argentina to join his wife who dies in Italy. During his five years spent in Buenos Aires, he marks deeply in the poster art in Argentina, where his reputation is enormous.
1933: after a vague period, he moved to Paris, where he remained unknown. Artists like Cappiello, Jean d'Ylen, Cassandre, Loupot, Carlu and Colin where having more media exposure, his production was very sporadic.
1933 to 1935: Under contract with the Société Générale Publicité, and with Paris-Affiches,
1939 to 1945 : after sharing between Paris and Gap, he retired in the latter where he devoted himself entirely to his first love: painting.
