Vogue 14 November 1953 - René Bouché - Framed art Print

René Bouché (1905 - 1963), born in Prague, was a distinguished 20th-century artist, primarily celebrated for his fashion illustrations in Vogue magazine from the 1930s through the 1960s. Despite having no formal training, Bouché's charming, stylish, and elegant artwork was unparalleled. As World War II dawned in America in 1941, he relocated to New York from Paris, following a stint in Berlin.

Bouché held prestigious positions, like the main illustrator for Saks Fifth Avenue's and Elizabeth Arden's advertising campaigns, and created ad series for clients like Schweppes, Jaguar, and Buick. In the theatre, his set and costume designs for Theatre Guild’s Child of Fortune (1954) and American Ballet Theatre’s Offenbach in the Underworld (1956) gained fame.

As a well known portraitist, he was often asked to paint the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy and Judy Garland, as well as prominent figures from art, fashion, and politics. His assignments for Time Magazine included portraits of John F. Kennedy and Sophia Loren. Condé Nast sent him to Europe regularly from the early 1950s to chronicle social and fashion trends. His brief interest in abstract expressionism led him to join the Eight Street Avant-Garde Painters Club.

Today, his work is housed in leading museums worldwide, including The Whitney Museum and MoMA in New York.