Be Still my Heart

So I was falling in love with this small Parisian kitchen while perusing my latest blog-crush, when...

...kapow!  My heart exploded as I spied this original vintage movie poster stuck to the wall.
Amazing how often that happens.  I fall for a home or a certain interior aesthetic grabs me & it ends up having a little vintage poster love going on.

Galerie Montmartre Flea Market!

image; lizzy c for galmont

It's on again...Galerie Montmartre's Fabulous Flea Market!

We have rummaged around our inventory & found some great vintage & contemporary posters that we are offering for as low as $20, $50 & $100...and 10% store-wide for the day. Good, huh?

Some friends are also joining the celebration - Heather at Absolutely French & Muriel at Rouge Store - to tempt you with their goodies. And our delicious neighbours Grub Food Van will be serving French-inspired food. So an all 'round good day, would love to see you (or hear from you, as our online gallery will have the 10% sale for the day too) & hope we can spread the Galmont love!

Galerie Montmartre - Original Vintage Posters - Fabulous Flea Market

197B Brunswick St. (enter via Moor St)

Fitzroy, Vic. 3065

10 - 4pm.

Rockin' it at GalMont!

image; Galerie Montmartre

Just check out this beauty! This little guy went off to join a very, very excited couple as their first ever original vintage poster purchase this week. I wasn't there to say goodbye, but I am assured that he was going to a good home who adored him as much as I did.

You see, every now & again, you have a special feeling for particular pieces & I had that with this one.

He came as part of our ever -expanding rare 50's & 60's collection late last year. I fell instantly in love. The colours, the happiness, the uniqueness - the bloke rocking in front of his Gianola oil heater had it all for me...but as Galerie Montmartre is my business, as well as my passion, I had to release him to the public. I'm so happy he has found enthusiastic people to live with.

Galerie Montmartre's Annual Sale

image; shopvaganza.com

Yes, it's that time of year in Australia when retail stores drastically reduce their prices. Galmont certainly don't want to miss out on all the fun. We have reduced the price of every single small and medium vintage advertising poster. And, if you've had your eye on a large vintage poster, we ask you to 'make an offer' between now and Dec 31st, see if we can all come to a happy compromise.

If you are in the Fitzroy vacinity, please drop by and say hello. Of course, we will also honour all email enquiries for our Interstate and International friends. Oooh, yeah, let's spread the original vintage poster love, people!!

Galerie Montmartre - Original Vintage Posters

197B Brunswick St. (enter via Moor St)

Fitzroy, 3065

Tues - Sun 10 - 5pm.

Balmain 'Evasion'

image; michelle belle for galerie montmartre

The Balmain Art Fair is finished for another year, lots of happy people taking home lots of beautiful art for their walls.

This little guy got alot of attention this weekend. A beautiful 1960's poster, typically cheeky and kitsch. The play on words between French and English had me smiling - majority of people read the words 'Tele-Evasion', used their knowledge of English to think that the French were speaking of the 'invasion' of TV or the way technology 'evades' our life. When the French adjective 'Evasion' is to 'escape'...so close, yet so far! And there endeth today's French lesson!!

Nevertheless, I've loved my little 'Evasion' to Balmain this weekend - no better way to work and play than in a lovely urban port-side hub. Hit the road back to Melbourne very soon. x

Michelle Belle Tumbles 6 - The Orange Vote

image; bally dancer by fix-masseau, c.1980's; stephan t for galerie montmartre

So, our country finally has a Prime Minister due to a hung parliament.....after two weeks speculation and political negotiating. As us Aussies were all wondering who our leader was going to be, Michelle Belle decides to dedicate a week's worth of posts to that most divisive of colours, Orange. I chose this, as it seems the most pertinent picture given Australia's flame-haired PM.

Over to Galmont's Asst Extraordinaire;

What would an ‘orange’ week be without an ode to the carrot top? I don’t know how I could have made it to Thursday without mentioning it! Especially as our current prime minister/maybe next prime minister/maybe leader of the opposition/maybe-who-knows-what-she’ll-be-next is a ginger herself.
But surely there is no better looking auburn beauty than this, our very own Bally Dancer. Bending down to tie her dancing shoes, this little red is a stunner. Soft colours, graceful stance, legs up-to-there… this little red sure has my vote!

Michelle Belle Tumbles 5 - Spring

image; bundesbahn, andrian, 1961; michelle belle for galerie montmartre

On the first day of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, this post from our tumbling assistant, Michelle Belle, seems quite fitting. Not so much a lesson in vintage poster art, more an ode to this wonderful, wonderful season. New beginnings and all that, makes sense given the Galmont story over the past two months with L'Homme taken so very ill....but now on his way back home in a month or so to start life afresh with us all - Welcome Spring!

With a beautiful image like this, who wouldn’t want to “Travel in the Springtime with the German Federal Railroad”. All the signs of Spring are here. Blue skies, blossoming flowers, tweeting birdies. Which reminds me of a little ditty my dad loves to sing at this time of year….
The spring has sprung, the grass is riz
I wonder where the birdies is?
The bird is on the wing
But that’s absurd
I always thought the wing was on the bird!

Guest Post; Michelle Belle Tumbles 4

Derouet and Fromentier, Jus D’Orange, printed c. 1960; stephan t for galerie montmartre
So, MB has decided that the colour orange is the focus on our tumblr blog this week. She thinks it's a little indecisive....just like our country's voting efforts, where we all dashed off to the polls this last Saturday and still don't know who will be leading our country!

Time for some vitamin C to get us moving....take it over from here Ms. Belle...

An orange juice in the morning… a day full of spirit and vigour. Yes please! This fellow springs straight from his bed to his Jus D’Orange, no time to even change from his striped pyjamas.
Edgard Derouet (1905-2001) and Paul Fromentier (1914-1981) teamed up to create a number of poster designs in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. And what a team they made! The contrast in colour, the movement, and the ORANGE-ness of the juicy orange…. BEAUTIFUL!

Marvellous Monday!

image; jeunesse au plein air - la sauterelle by herve morvan, 1973; michelle belle for galmont

What a difference a sleep-in and a sunny morning can make....also rereading beautiful birthday facebook messages and putting away birthday gifts can't hurt....
I think spring is on it's way in old Melbourne town. So exciting!
How beautiful is this vintage poster, one of a series we have at Galerie Montmartre, encouraging children to get out in the fresh air? Hope you get a chance to do this today, wherever you are - have a great week. x

Michelle Belle's Guest Posterama!

image; galerie fricker, paul colin (hand signed), 1971; stephan t for galerie montmartre

Not only is Michelle Belle, our assistant extraordinaire, guest blogging on The Design Files all week - be sure to check out her out over there today...it's a tiny taste of vicarious retail therapy - but every Wednesday I include one of her posts from our Tumblr site. Quite frankly, this blog has turned into way too much of what la Femme is into, so we started another one that is authored by the Gen Y Wonder which is totally vintage poster focused and I love it!

Today's post is about two creative talents in two very different fields, both divinely determined and talented during one of my favourite eras.


One of the masters of Art Deco graphic design, Paul Colin (1892-1985) produced over 1900 posters, plus hundreds of book covers, theater sets and costumes. Inspired by Cubism and Surrealism, his designs were perfectly suited to the Jazz Age. Bold colours, geometric shapes and caricatured figures practically dance of the page.
Colin is best known for his work for La Revue Negre, a French troupe of musicians and performers, including the then little known Josephine Baker. Together they took Paris by storm, Josephine with her sensational ‘banana dance’, Colin with his colourful lithographic posters celebrating the energy and allure of this bewitching woman.
Using an image designed for La Revue Negre in 1925, this exhibition poster is seductive, sexy and simply irresistible. Jazz singers in the front, Baker swinging those famous hips up the back, we can only imagine the visual impact of a room of such designs. And oh to be there, among the glitz and glamor of the Jazz Age. I can tell you, I would be dancing the Charleston till the wee hours on the streets of gay 1920s Paris.

Guest Post; Michelle Belle Tumbles 3

image; Michel Quarez, Quarez Affiches printed 2009

I'm so proud of our little assistant extraordinaire, this blog she is writing is exceptional in it's content, knowledge and personality. Today Michelle Belle tells us about a posterist who we adore at Galerie Montmartre; he's a true contemporary poster artist.

Ahem, while the French continue to respect this medium, then I will always have a job...

Read on to learn of the modern master;

Just to prove to you this whole poster thing ain’t a thing of the past, today I want to show you a newie. The French still take great pleasure in the the design, production and practice of great poster art. Le Boss always bangs on about how even today there are posters all over Paris, and a recent trip there proved him right. In the metro, on bus shelters, in specially designed light boxes on the street, on walls, on buses, small format pamphlets etc, etc, etc. EVERYWHERE. The French still respect the poster. And the French still love their own poster artists.
Case in point: Michel Quarez. His style is unmistakably modern. Graffiti-style lines, bright fluro colours, kids in backwards caps and high-top sneakers. From gay rights to football, tourism to theater, Quarez has applied his unmistakable brush to it all. With posters from the 1990s to today, this is a thoroughly modern poster artist.
This poster was created for the 2009-10 retrospective exhibition at the Bibliotheque Forney in Paris. Another gallery devoted to posters, you can check out the exhibition on you tube. Damn lucky those Parisians are. Beautiful posters everywhere!

Charlie Pickering and the Big Tie

image; big tie, rouille, c.1950; michelle belle for galmont

Charlie Pickering is an Australian comedian, author and television presenter. Here he is sitting in one of the rooms of his home with a delicious vintage poster looking pretty spiffy behind him. Hmmm, wonder where that came from?!!

I thought it looked gorgeous on the front of the Home supplement in the weekend Herald-Sun. Always such a pleasant surprise to see one of our beauties in the press.

Guest Post; Michelle Belle Tumbles 2

image; agis punsch, buhler; 1949 by stephan t for galmont

Our assistant extraordinaire is on tumblr, every week I share one of her posts, because she is clever and insightful and loves vintage poster art...and gives away a little something of the Galerie Montmartre culture at the same time!

When it gets cold outside, I go for tea. For me there is nothing better than wrapping my hands around a big, hot mug of strong, milky tea. No teacup, no saucer, no fancy flavours, just a simple teabag of black tea in a sizable mug is super. Everyone at Galmont has their favourite warmer-upper. Shelley T, she goes for a steaming hot chocolate, Le Boss a short black with one sugar, Sir James a creamy latte, Lady Diane a strong latte, no sugar required (she’s sweet enough).

And how about this towering polar bear here? Why, he goes for Agis Punch, with Vitamin C of course. If anyone knows about warming it must be our arctic friends, and boy does this steaming glass look good. You can just see his little paws just itching to reach out for his fix. No head colds for him this winter.

Fritz Buhler (1909 - 1963) was one of the leading poster artists of Switzerland from the 30s to the 60s, the director of his own graphic design studio in Basel and creator of many successful advertising campaigns. Most importantly, he was a founding father of the Aliance Graphique Internationale, an association of the world’s leading graphic artists and designers that was begun in 1951 and continues today. So from a clear headed artist to a clear headed furry mammal, let us raise our mug, tea cup, thermos, latte glasse and jumbo take-awayand say ‘Sante!’ to the hot drink this Winter.

Michelle Belle Tumbles 1

image; Gardez la France Propre by Raymond Savignac, 1982. 117 X 160cms.

Today is the first of our tumblr series written by Michelle Belle. And as we all have L'Homme on our minds, I thought it was fitting that we started with a post regarding him and one of our favourite French poster artists.

MB has really got into the tumbling life, posting every week day....puts this Femme to shame...

Anyway, enjoy!

On a recent trip to Paris, Le Boss spotted this poster and had to have it. A devout Savignac fan, it was one he had not yet had in the gallery. Sacre bleu! How could this happen? A purchase was obligatory. This humorous image embodies all that made Savignac the master of the French advertising poster from the late 1940s right up until his death in 2002. A clever image, abundant colour, minimal text and a uniquely kooky sense of humor all come together to produce a poster that is both distinctly French and instantly memorable.
Check out this terrific image above. The national symbol of France, le coq (chicken) is imploring the poor little porc (pig) to ‘Gardez La France Propre’, to keep France clean. Only Savignac could take an appeal from the National Agency of Waste Disposal to the French people to look after their country and inject it with such lightheartedness and humor.
So from the streets of France in 1982 to the walls of Galerie Montmartre in 2010, we have another wonderful Savignac poster in our collection. Bravo Le Boss, BRAVO!

'Do You Love Colour....

....but Hate the Commitment?'

Today Houzz ran an article called 'Colour Without Commitment' where they showed a number of ideas as to how you could put colour into your home without committing to a whole room. Of course, what better way is there to do that than with a vintage poster? I'm sure you were thinking the same thing!!

If you need a bit of oomph without committing to a whole room painted in a particular colour pallette, there is no better way than a big, brassy, brash, bold vintage poster. (Yes, the converted is preaching!) I realise there is the financial commitment, but when you figure that your gem not only brings you colourful joy but will at the very least hold it's value it is a win-win all round in my opinion.

I chose a selection of beauties to tempt you...

A Happy Home Indeed!

image; belinda g for the happy home blog

I can't believe it has taken me this long to show you the mini hallway makeover Belinda Graham created on her blog The Happy Home. This Mother, Wife, writer, journalist and all around fun girl somehow manages to find time to blog about her home projects - of which this is one. (Actually, I am always asking her how she finds time to do the actual home projects!)

And not only am I showing you because she uses one of my very favourite combinations - black and white stripes - but on her little gallery wall (close your eyes, Rockin Raina!!!) she has included a vintage mini poster; the gorgeous point of purchase sale piece for Parapluie Revel by Leonetto Cappiello from 1922....truly vintage....which she found through Galmont.

I love the way she has simply pegged it onto her wall.

Good job, B!

Scandale!

image; scandale by j jacqueline, c.195, michelle belle for galmont

It has got a little crazy at Galmont this week, all a bit nuts; we've nearly lost our tiny minds at one point or another. The rains have fallen, the drainpipes in the retail space have leaked long and hard and we've been mopping up mess ever since. The plumber comes in to investigate and discovers the downpipe in my office - which happens to be a glass cube overlooking everything else - needs attending to, he has ripped great holes in the walls and is so obviously aesthetically challenged....surely he could've done it a little more neatly?? This is supposed to be a beautiful place for crying out loud!! And all I feel like doing right now is cry out loud!!!!

But then, our gorgeous little Gen-Y wonder, Michelle our Belle, shares a photo of her latest poster acquisition and how she has placed it in her room. So neat, so orderly, so lovely.

Enjoy your weekends, lovelies, hope there isn't a scandal between the lot of you.

Danish Vintage Posters

all images; stephan t for galerie montmartre; c 1960's approx 100 X 60cms.

Just loving this new Danish collection that has hit Galmont.....I mean, honestly, how many beautiful illustrations and images are there in this world?!

Drivers, Take your Places!

image; Loterie Nationale by Constant, c. 1950 stephan t for galmont

Meh...not that fussed about the Grand Prix, can hear the roaring of the engines from our little Fitzroy corner of the world and I can't help thinking about fumes, the crowds and the rev-heads. Mind you, if I was asked to be part of the Celebrity Race, well, that's a whole other story - suddenly I'd be very interested! I suppose I'm not really much of a spectator.

Enjoy your weekend, I'm loving this sunshine.

Another Vespa (or Four) for Crayon Chick

Vespa GS, Anon. c1960, 70X100cms.

Vespa Servizio, Anon. c.1960 26X35cms.

Vespa GL, Anon. 1963, 70X100cms.

Vespa Formidable, Ambroise, 1955. 120X160cms.

all images; stephan t for galmont

Michelle, sweet Crayon Chick, had some lovely words to say about Galmont in this post. So I thought that I'd send her some more vintage Vespa bloglove!