Paul Berthon

Paul Berthon (15 March 1872 – 15 February 1909) was a French artist, who primarily produced posters and lithographs.

Early life and education Paul Louis Joseph Berthon was born in 1872 in Villefranche-sur-Saône in France, where he studied painting before moving to Paris. He later enrolled at the Ecole Normale d'Enseignement de Dessin. He followed lessons in painting from Luc-Olivier Merson, and in decorative arts from Eugène Grasset. The latter had a far greater influence on him, and he may be regarded as his pupil.

Career Berthon's work contains primarily coloured lithograph posters in Art Nouveau style, much like his contemporary Alphonse Mucha. His decorative arts studies influenced his printmaking, resulting in his characteristic use of strong lines and natural details that guided his art. The vast majority of Berthon's chromolithographed posters did not include advertisements and were meant to stand on their own. His work is included in the poster series Les Maîtres de l'Affiche, for which he also created the cover art.