sight: 42 3/4 29 1/2 inches
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000
Price Realized:
$8,960
Includes buyer's premium
Travel poster printed by Champenois, Paris
lithograph
sight: 42 3/4 29 1/2 inches
The Estate of Ilon Specht
Purchased from Paul Prouté et ses Fils, Paris, France, in 1968
overall good condition, some gentle toning, and very gentle creasing, not examined out of frame
frame dimensions: 43 1/2 x 30 x 1 inches, metal frame with glazing
Ilon Specht was a pioneering advertising copywriter and creative director who first carved a place for herself in the heady "Mad Men" era of New York advertising. While still in her twenties, she created the iconic "Because I'm Worth It" campaign for L'Oreal Paris. Specht was a subject of author Malcom Gladwell and Oscar-winning documentarian Ben Proudfoot, whose documentary short The Final Copy of Ilon Specht is streaming on Amazon Prime. Her L'Oreal Paris campaign would change beauty advertising forever, catalyzing a pivot from an emphasis on pleasing men to promoting women's self-confidence and empowerment. Ilon also did groundbreaking work for the Peace Corps, Oxy 5, Underalls, and Life cereal. She was an avid collector, especially of Deco and American country, with an eye that transcended eras and fads. Unlikely collections adorned all corners of her dazzling apartment in the Dakota. After retiring from advertising, she moved to California and devoted herself full-time to making and dealing in beautiful things. As a mother, a stepmother, a friend, and a boss, Ilon Specht was caring, generous, courageous and brilliant. She changed many lives.
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