His reputation was soon established and he received many commissions to illustrate both major authors and the so-called "galante literature" of the day, a form of erotica.
Having been commissioned to illustrate Théophile Gautier's novel "Fortunio", he adopted the pseudonym "Paul Avril". From 1874 to 1878 he was at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris. Under the pseudonym Paul Avril, he was an illustrator of erotic literature.Īvril studied art in various Paris salons. The Société des Bibliophiles Contemporaines (1889–1894) consisted of 160 people from literary circles, including Avril.Édouard-Henri Avril ( in Algiers – 1928 in Le Raincy) was a French painter and commercial artist. Avril worked with Octave Uzanne, who after leaving the Société des Amis des Livres, which he found too conservative and too concerned with the reissue of old works, started two new bibliographic societies. Prolific erotica collector Henry Spencer Ashbee commissioned Avril to design a bookplate for him. Avril might be best known for his sapphic, or lesbian, illustrations.
He illustrated such works as Gustave Flaubert's Salammbô, Gautier's Le Roi Caundale, Jean Baptiste Louvet de Couvray's Adventures of the Chevalier de Faublas, Mario Uchard's Mon Oncle Barbassou (scenes in a harem), Jules Michelet's The Madam, Hector France's Musk, Hashish and Blood, the writings of Pietro Aretino, and the anonymous lesbian novel Gamiani.Ĭlassicizing works illustrated by Avril include Oeuvres d’Horace (1887), Une nuit de Cléopâtre (1894), Daphnis et Chloé (1898), and Les sonnets luxurieux de l’Aretin (1904). The book's edition illustrated by Avril includes Les charmes de Fanny exposés that is one of his better known pictures. Another important work illustrated by Avril was John Cleland's Fanny Hill (also known as Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure), which was a significant and controversial publication of its time as it was the first novel to bring erotica to English literature.
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īecause of the perceived obscenity of Avril and his works, it is difficult to assess the impact that his art might have had on the culture of the time.Īvril died at Le Raincy, near Paris, in 1928.īookplate designed by Avril for erotica collector Henry Spencer AshbeeĪvril's major work were the illustrations in 1906 for De Figuris Veneris: A Manual of Classical Erotica. Erotica of that time received very limited prints and sometimes were limited to only 100 or so copies, or were sold only within exclusive circles of collectors. These books were typically sold in small editions on a subscription basis, organised by collectors. However, his reputation as a commercial illustrator of novels was established before he began illustrating the more underground erotic literature. Having been commissioned to illustrate Théophile Gautier's novel Fortunio, he adopted the pseudonym "Paul Avril".
He worked for the illustrated newsmagazine Le Monde illustré in 1882.
Cover of L'Ombrelle - Le Gant - Le Manchon illustrated by Avril (1883)įrom 1874 to 1878 he was at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
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