Umberto Brunelleschi

Umberto Brunelleschi was born in 1879 in Montemurio, near Pistoia, Italy. After completing his studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti, in Florence, he moved to Paris in 1900 where he worked as a caricaturist and illustrator, often under the name Harun-al-Rashid. He used this pen-name because the drawings he enjoyed doing were oriental in style, with brilliant jewel-like colours, influenced by Leon Bakst and Erte.

By 1912, he was illustrating books, designing posters and working for the Journal de Dames et des Modes as well as Femina magazine.

In his early years, his work was clearly recognizable by it's delicate lines, fanciful flourishes and exquisite execution. He used brilliant jewel-like colours, that brought a fairy-tale world to life.