Original pen-and-ink caricature by celebrated American artist and caricaturist Al Hirschfeld depicting liquor-industry executive Michel Roux. Roux is portrayed holding a drink alongside bottles of Absolut Vodka, Bombay Gin, and Grand Marnier, referencing his prominent career in the spirits industry.
Signed “HIRSCHFELD 3” lower right. The numeral following Hirschfeld’s signature indicates the number of hidden “NINA” references incorporated into the composition, a celebrated hallmark of the artist’s work. Presented under glass with linen matting in a black frame. Paper backing exhibits tearing and age-related wear; artwork itself presents well.
Good pre-owned, previously displayed condition with light wear, minor scratches, dust jacket backing ripped, and surface markings. Please reference all photos for full condition details.
Size: 27 3/4" x 32 1/4" x 1 1/4". Weight: 13.8 lbs.
From the personal collection of Michel Roux, the liquor icon. One of Mr. Roux’s signature spirits at Crillon was absinthe, the anise-flavored spirit known for its popularity among 19th-century artists like van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec. It was banned by the United States in 1912 amid concerns that wormwood, one if its ingredients, which contained thujone, caused hallucinations. In 2000 Mr. Roux introduced a legal absinthe, Absente, which used a sister botanical, Southern wormwood, with only trace amounts of thujone.
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