Bottini, George

1874 – 1907
French

Bottini was the son of a Parisian hairdresser. He studied art and worked as a painting restorer which allowed him to examine the techniques of the Old Masters. The work of Constantin Guys (1802-1892) was a major influence on Bottini’s style, as were Toulouse-Lautrec and Steinlen.

Not surprisingly, some of Bottini’s best work was as a poster artist and he used his personal observations of fin-de-siecle customs and lifestyles in Montmartre as inspiration. He found his subjects at the Moulin de la Galette, the Bal Tabarin, the English bars in the Avenue Trudaine and in brothels.

Sadly, Bottini suffered with mental illness from a very young age and he died in an asylum in Villejuif when he was just 31.