A painter, designer and draughtsman, Boutet de Monvel was well known in the US in the 1920s. This was in part because of his father’s illustrations, which were adored by Americans, and in part because of his exclusive contract with Harper’s Bazaar from 1925 to 1929 and 1931 to 1933. However, it was not until 1926 that the artist made the trip to discover New York City for himself. It was this year that the prestigious Anderson Gallery organized a retrospective of his illustrations and drawings. Soon after he arrived, he became caught up with New York high society portrait commissions. 

Boutet de Monvel went back to Paris after only six months, yet the artist regretted leaving. He missed the futuristic cityscape of New York, with its emerging urbanism that deeply inspired him. Before he left, he walked the streets of Manhattan, taking pictures to remember various compositions and particular lighting that he could work from later. Monvel archived each photograph and inscribed them with the time of day they were taken. When he later returned in 1929, following the stock market crash, many of his wealthy clients had postponed their portrait commissions, and so he gained free time to explore and develop his style further.

An important article about his work (in the French review La renaissance de l’Art français), described Boutet de Monvel as a “painter of the line.” Nothing was as crucial to the artist as pure line, and he fought passionately against useless ornament and over decoration. Fellow artist Berenice Abbott (1898-1991) adopted a similar composition technique when taking a photograph just a few blocks away from the Roxy theater. The composition of our Roxy Theatre graphic perfectly illustrates Monvel’s passion for dynamic line. He saw his beloved straight lines and geometric compositions everywhere in New York City, and said (here), “the line has come to life.” Exceptionally well drafted, tight geometric compositions like this one have become Boutet de Monvel’s most sought after qualities by collectors today.