Printed Originals presents
Razzia Original posters · 1982–2013
Painted first. Printed for the event. Often signed twice.
II · Signed twice
23 of our Razzia posters are signed by hand.
Every Razzia poster carries his printed “Razzia.” inside the picture. On these, he has signed again, by hand, on the copy itself: usually a fast black signature with a long underline, in the opposite corner.
See all 23 hand-signed posters ↓III · Paris, 1982
Start with a face.
Fashion and the brasserie
Paris · Prêt-à-Porter Féminin A pale face inside a black collar, “Paris” in gold.
Available · from £390.00 · View this poster →
Paris · Haute Couture A white brim, a red shoulder, the same gold “Paris”.
Available · from £410.00 · View this poster →
La Coupole · depuis 1927 A woman with a menu and a flute of champagne.
Available · from £740.00 · View this poster →
Then the poster museum
Paris Posters · Été 82 For the Musée de l’Affiche et de la Publicité.
Available · from £290.00 · View this poster →
Images de la Révolte 1965–1975 11 May – 12 September 1982, at the same museum.
Available · from £300.00 · View this poster →
Cinémathèque publicitaire The museum’s advertising film archive.
Available · from £250.00 · View this poster →
Before Louis Vuitton
Razzia, born Gérard Courbouleix-Dénériaz in Montparnasse, started as a photographer in the music industry; by his own account a photo shoot in 1979 became his first graphic. In 1982 the Musée de l’Affiche et de la Publicité in Paris used him three times. Images de la Révolte announced a show of protest posters from 1965 to 1975: a raised fist breaks through a torn picture above a “Défense d’afficher” notice. Paris Posters and the Cinémathèque use cut-out photographs. The painted, airless style he is known for arrives with the faces.
IV · Bagatelle, year by year
One lawn, one château, a new car every September.
we hold this poster known, not held
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1988
The first concours. Its poster was by René Gruau
Not in our archive
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1989
9 et 10 septembre · a Ferrari, and a woman in a white hat
Available · from £440.00 · View this poster → -
1990
8 et 9 septembre · “avec la participation des six Bugatti Royale”
Available · from £520.00 · View this poster → -
1991
7–8 September · Rita Hayworth, Clark Gable and a Duesenberg
Not in our archive
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1992
12 et 13 septembre · Automobiles de Princes, a rose on a bonnet
Available · from £450.00 · View this poster → -
1993
11–12 September · a Talbot-Lago
Not in our archive
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1994
10 et 11 septembre · Vitesse, a blue record car under a steering-wheel sun
In our archive, not yet online
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1996
7 et 8 septembre · a red and white car on a black road
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record → -
1997
6 et 7 septembre · “10 ans” on the number plate
Available · from £640.00 · View this poster → -
1998
5–6 September · a Talbot-Lago, a hat on the grass
Not in our archive
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1999
4 et 5 septembre · two concept cars, the château in outline
Available · from £410.00 · View this poster → -
2000
9 et 10 septembre · now “Louis Vuitton Classic”, a face behind a speedometer
Available · from £520.00 · View this poster → -
2002
June · a yellow Ford GT40 on a yellow flag
Available · from £520.00 · View this poster → -
2004
Waddesdon Manor, 5th June · an Aston Martin on a Union flag
Available · from £600.00 · View this poster →
The title block barely changes. The picture always does.
The concours
Louis Vuitton’s concours d’élégance for classic cars began at the Parc de Bagatelle, in the Bois de Boulogne, in 1988. René Gruau drew the first poster; from 1989 the posters are Razzia’s. The 1989 design began as an oil painting, which later sold at Artcurial. From 1994 the type is fixed and only the picture moves, along with the sponsors along the foot. In 2000 the headline became “Louis Vuitton Classic”, and the event travelled, to Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire in 2004.
V · Journeys
Sydney, London, Beijing, Prague, Venice.
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Sydney, 1988
A balloon shaped like the Opera House, for the Bicentennial flight
Available · from £500.00 · View this poster → -
Longchamp, 1989
Grand Prix de Paris Louis Vuitton · a bearskin cap, seen from behind
Available · from £340.00 · View this poster → -
London, 1991
A Journey Through Time, Harrods · a liner made of trunks
Available · from £520.00 · View this poster → -
Dalian to Beijing, 1998
The first China Run: about 50 cars over 1,300 km
Available · from £490.00 · View this poster → -
Budapest to Prague, 2006
Boheme Run · a silver car in a tunnel of autumn trees
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Monte Carlo to Venice, 2012
Serenissima Run · a red Ferrari above, a gondola below
Available · from £620.00 · View this poster → -
The Channel, 1993
Brittany Ferries, Voyages aux Îles
Available · from £780.00 · View this poster → -
Cherbourg
L’escale transatlantique, with the Queen Mary 2
Available · from £650.00 · View this poster → -
Supersonic
Fly Me · Concorde crossed with a stewardess’s legs
Available · from £695.00 · View this poster →
The runs
Alongside the concours, Louis Vuitton ran long rallies for old cars, the Classic Runs. The China Run of 1998 sent some 50 cars from Dalian towards Tiananmen Square. The Boheme Run of 2006 linked Budapest, Vienna and Prague, and the Serenissima Run of 2012 drove from Monte Carlo to Venice over the Alps. Razzia drew the posters, and every one in this strip still has its date printed on it.
VI · Sails
The Louis Vuitton Cup picked the challenger for the America’s Cup.
The usual regatta poster
- Viewpoint
- From the shore or another boat, at water level
- The boats
- Whole yachts, hull and rigging
- The sea
- A setting
- The marks
- Course details and logos
Razzia · San Diego, 1995
- Viewpoint
- From straight above
- The boats
- Two spinnakers only: one red, one blue
- The sea
- Most of the poster: dark blue, lined like fabric
- The marks
- One small yellow buoy carrying the Cup flag
San Diego, January – April 1992 · two yachts circle a red buoy
Available · from £550.00 · View this poster →
Louis Vuitton Trophy, Nice, November 2009 · a yellow villa, a palm, two sails
Available · from £780.00 · View this poster →
San Francisco, July – August 2013 · wing-sailed catamarans under the Golden Gate
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
Twenty-one years, and the sea is never just background.
VII · Close reading · Louis Vuitton Cup, Auckland, 2002–03
Two sails, one letter.
VIII · Cafés, courts and resorts
Everything at its best moment.
Café de Flore · boulevard Saint-Germain
Available · from £550.00 · View this poster →
Pêcher Mignon · a woman in white, a glass of champagne
Available · from £600.00 · View this poster →
Pasta · “An Al Dente Brothers Production”
Available · from £810.00 · View this poster →
Monte Carlo Country Club · a hat and a clay court from above
Available · from £730.00 · View this poster →
Roland Garros 84 · for Slazenger
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
US Open · a ball on the tip of the Empire State
Available · from £510.00 · View this poster →
Golf · a swing against a giant ball
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
St. Moritz · ski tracks under a Swiss flag
Available · from £800.00 · View this poster →
Japon · Mount Fuji, a red sun, a red line
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
Lancia · the badge at night
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
Balloons · one balloon, a crescent moon
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
Silmo · the optical trade fair, Paris
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
Le Parfum · a profile above a black and gold V
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
Commissions and his own pictures
Some of these were commissioned: Silmo names the optical trade fair, Café de Flore its address, the Roland-Garros poster the tennis brand Slazenger. Others carry no client at all, only a word: Golf, Japon, Balloons. Where we cannot read a date from the poster, the card gives none. One fact needs care: the official Roland-Garros poster of 1984 was by Gilles Aillaud; Razzia’s 1984 poster is a separate one, made for Slazenger.
IX · Signatures
Every Razzia poster is signed. Some are signed twice.
Hand-signed
Signed by Razzia by hand on the copy itself, in ink, marker or pencil, usually in the corner opposite the printed signature. The copies collectors look for first.
On this poster: a fast black “Razzia.” with a long underline, in the cream margin of Japon. Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
Show all 23 in the archive ↓
Plate-signed
His signature is printed inside the picture, so every copy of the poster carries it. Every original Razzia poster has this, whether or not it is also signed by hand.
On this poster: the printed “Razzia.” in small capitals, lower right, Lancia. Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
Show all 19 in the archive ↓After Razzia
A reproduction he did not authorise. None in our archive: every Razzia we hold is an original printing. He has also issued authorised later editions, such as six small designs in 2007, hand-signed and numbered; we name those as editions, never “after”.
X · The Printed Originals Razzia archive
Every Razzia poster we have held.
35 available now · 12 sold. Hand-signed copies first. Sold posters show no price.
XI · Collecting
Look at both bottom corners.
Hand-signed or plate-signed: how do I tell?
The printed “Razzia.” is part of the image and has the same flat finish as the colour around it. A hand signature sits on top: tilt the poster to the light and ink or marker catches it differently, while pencil shows pressure and sheen. On most copies we have handled, the two signatures are in opposite lower corners.
Is it a period poster or a later edition?
Check the size and the text. A period poster is printed on paper at the event’s own size and usually carries dates and sponsors. The 2007 edition is small (about 37 × 27 cm) and numbered; the aluminium editions are on metal.
Which Bagatelle years exist?
The concours began in 1988, with a poster by René Gruau. Razzia’s run starts in 1989. We have confirmed posters for most years to 2002, and the 2004 Classic at Waddesdon Manor. Our year-by-year wall above marks the ones we hold.
Do the same designs come in more than one size?
Yes. We have handled the Auckland 2002–03 Cup poster at about 70 × 97 cm and 120 × 142 cm, and the Nice 2009 Trophy at 70 × 100 cm and 120 × 160 cm. Each size is an original printing. Ask which one you are buying.
Can I see the signature before I buy?
Yes. Ask us and we will send detailed photographs of both corners, the margins and the condition of any poster.
Condition and framing
We grade condition in six steps and describe every mark (condition grading). Framing is optional, and all our framing is conservation framing (framing original posters).