Pierre Mourgue (1890-1969)

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Pierre Mourgue was born in France in 1890. Not much is known about his childhood or how he got into art, but his first position of not was as a regular contributor to the premiere French fashion magazine, La Gazette du Bon Ton. In time, the influential magazine was picked up by Condé Nast, who distributed it across American under the name, Gazette du Bon Genre. The magazine’s artwork was composed of many talented French illustrators, including Paul Iribe, Pierre Brissaud, Georges Lepape. Due to its success, Condé Montrose Nast enlisted all of the La Gazette du Bon Ton artist for another one of his magazines, Vogue.

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Pierre Mourgue was based in Paris but made frequent trips to New York, because his illustrations were regularly on and inside the covers of Vogue magazine. His ink and gouache illustrations brought a Parisian flair to the American edition.

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Mourgue’s style changed with the popular art of the time. A lot of his early work has a strong Art Deco influence, with his 1940s and 1950s work resembling the American advertising illustrations that we regularly associate with that era. His illustrations often get compared to Pierre Brissaud’s, for their use of exaggerated figures and their disposition for pretty girls.

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Mourgue illustrated for fashion designers Nina Ricci, Christian Dior, and Marcel Rochas. Bringing their garments to life with his careful observation, and ability to infuse a sense of fun and coolness.

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Again not much is known about the later parts of his life, but it is recorded that he died in 1969.

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Biography adapted from the Illustrators Lounge biography.

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