THÉODORE VAN ELSEN STUDIO - Collection of Modern Engravings [LIVE - DELIVRANCE DROUOT BAGNOLET]

Théodore van Elsen (1896–1961)

Born in Java in 1896 and died in Paris in 1961, Théodore van Elsen was a painter, printmaker, draftsman, and illustrator, best known for his work as a caricaturist. Beginning in the 1920s, he contributed to numerous illustrated magazines, including “Le Journal,” “Le Rire,” “Ric et Rac,” and “Ridendo.” His lively and incisive drawings offer a decidedly ironic view of society and its foibles, blending biting humor, satire, and a keen observation of everyday life. Van Elsen was particularly interested in the working-class and marginalized figures of Paris during his time, whom he depicted with great freedom of line. In addition to his work for the press, he illustrated several literary works and exhibited, notably, at the Salon des humoristes in the late 1920s.