Leonetto Cappiello

Leonetto Cappiello (1875-1942) is considered to be the "Father of the Modern Advertising Poster". He was Italian but spent much of his time in Paris and had no formal art training. Cappiello began his artistic career as a caricature artist by illustrating for French journals and was inspired by the works of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Advertising posters were a major form of communication during Cappiello’s lifetime, and he succeeded in reimaging the poster concept to engage audiences with bold experimentation and new graphical styles.