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We talk to Eric Mourlot about his family’s historic print studio

Galerie Mourlot Rare & Limited Rare Posters Henri Matisse Pablo Picasso Joan Míro Alexander Calder Raoul Dufy Georges Braque André Beaudin

Founded in 1852 by his great-grandfather Fernand Mourlot, Eric Mourlot has generational knowledge about the lithographic print process, and an abundance of stories about the historically significant print studio’s history.

Now proud guardian of rare posters produced by pioneering artists including Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, we talk to Eric about growing up in the New York Studio, and his mission to keep this piece of art history alive.

l’Atelier Mourlot studio, Paris

Q: Hi Eric, it’s wonderful to have this opportunity to talk to you. The Mourlot Studio has such a rich and significant history. Can you tell us where it all began?

A: The Mourlot studio was started in 1852 in Paris. Originally, it was a commercial lithographic studio that printed wallpaper, ledgers, and calendars. Eventually it grew and had several locations, but it’s not until 1923 that my grandfather and his brothers dedicated one of the locations into more artistic endeavours.

‘The artists really enjoyed coming to the studio to work directly on the stones and they grew fond of the technique’

Eric Mourlot

Fernand Mourlot and Henri Matisse at l’Atelier Mourlot in Paris

Q: Were the posters originally intended simply for advertisement, or was the value in the artform being championed from the start?

A: Yes, the studio had won a contract with the government and the posters were originally meant to advertise upcoming shows in National Museums. It was not until private galleries and artists started using our services that smaller, signed and numbered editions were introduced. The artists really enjoyed coming to the studio to work directly on the stones and they grew fond of the technique.

‘[Lithography] offered many artists the opportunity to create works that were multiple, affordable and yet, original. There were no real limitations, unless the artist was not willing to experiment!’

Eric Mourlot

Q: Could you explain a little about the lithographic process that the artists were taught. How did this influence, inform and direct their work? What were the possibilities and limitations?

A: Lithography is based on the principle of the repulsion of water and grease. The artist works with a grease based crayon to draw on a stone or a zinc plate. Only the areas that were drawn will later retain the printing inks that are applied on the matrix, while the other areas will stay blank. Each colour has to have a stone or plate dedicated to it and therefore, the sheet of paper has to be reloaded to add every colour to the image.

Lithography is very versatile, and at the time, it was the best way to print with colours. It offered many artists the opportunity to create works that were multiple, affordable and yet, original. There were no real limitations, unless the artist was not willing to experiment!

Joan Míro admiring his lithographic prints

Q: How did the New York studio come into being, and who were the first artists that your father collaborated with?

A: In 1963, after an exhibition of our private collection at the Smithsonian Institute in the United States, several major Art Dealers, such as Leo Castelli, convinced my grandfather to open a branch in New York City. The art market was quickly developing stateside, and therefore, my father was sent to open it in 1967. There we worked with a new generation of artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Alex Katz and James Rosenquist.

‘They had known me since I was born and were very generous with their knowledge... It didn’t hurt that they had seen me clean the loo either!’

Eric Mourlot

Q: At what age did you begin helping out at the studio, is it something that you very much grew up around?

A: I would go directly to the studio from my school to do my homework since I was 11. It’s not until I was 14 that I started making pocket money by cleaning the ink rollers and the lattrines. Later on, I was able to work on the presses and little by little learned the printing techniques from the 80 or so printers that worked there. They had known me since I was born and were very generous with their knowledge... It didn’t hurt that they had seen me clean the loo either! Probably a smart message that my father had sent: This is one big family and there are no stupid jobs!

Homage to Ben Shahn, 1975

£1,230, framed rare poster

Rare & Limited Alexander Calder Rare Posters Exhibition Posters Galerie Mourlot Abstract Modern Art

Q: Since the studio closed in 1999, you have been guardian of a wealth of historically significant posters created by some of the world’s leading artists. Can you tell us about how this archival process began, is the archive in the same location as the NY studio was?

A: The archival process is painstaking and expensive. We loan many works and archives to museums, as well as organise exhibitions of our own collections. Unfortunately, we could not keep our original location in New York, as lithographic printing became too expensive and technology took over. It was quite a large studio with 20 employees, and in the early 70’s the economy was difficult for a printshop like ours. Thankfully, art and collecting continued to thrive and develop.

Lithographie Originale II 1972

£520, framed rare print

Rare & Limited Joan Miró Rare Prints Galerie Mourlot Modern Art

Q: Do you ever come across rare pieces that you haven’t seen before?

A: I come across rare works in the warehouse that I have never seen before. It is quite exciting in fact and I very much enjoy doing the research. It ranges from a lithographic poster of an exhibition of Mark Rothko in a French Museum to three original cut-outs by Henri Matisse that were subsequently exhibited at the Tate Modern and the MoMA in New York City.

Fernand Mourlot and Henri Matisse at l’Atelier Mourlot in Paris c.1948

Les Lithographies de l'Atelier Mourlot 1984

£460, framed rare poster

Rare & Limited Henri Matisse Rare Posters Exhibition Posters Galerie Mourlot Abstract Geometric Modern Art Abstract

Q: Are there any stories you can share about any of the artists, either first hand or passed down?

A: I was reading a book written by Charles Sorlier not long ago, he was one of the master printers working at the studio. In his book he tells of an encounter between Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque that was later on relayed by the latter. Apparently, as the French artist was visiting his old friend Picasso, who was opening a delivery of posters we produced for a Museum show, turned to Braque while looking at the edition and said: ‘It’s almost better than me... don’t you think?!’ I think this story tells us not only about the artist’s sense of humour, but also the level of trust that he and many of his colleagues had in our craftsmen. It was a huge compliment.

Q: What are your aims and hopes today to preserve the legacy of l’Atelier Mourlot?

A: What is really important to me is to share this part of art history with others, through exhibition and education, but also offering these beautiful and historically important works of art. Their purpose was always to make great art available to a larger portion of the population that otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to experience them for financial reasons. At first, it was visually on the streets of cities and in the windows of shops and cafés, but also later on as a way to start collecting these gems in an affordable way. Many of these posters were original and drawn directly on the stone, but in every case, they were supervised by the artists themselves or their estates, as they understood the reach they would have in the greater population.