He was born Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron to French parents in
Kharkov, the capital of
Kharkov Governorate in the
Russian Empire and located in the historical region of
Sloboda Ukraine. As a young man, he moved to Paris, where he studied at the
École des Beaux-Arts and at the
Académie Julian. The popularity of posters as advertising afforded him an opportunity to work for a Parisian printing house. Inspired by
cubism as well as
surrealism, he earned a reputation with works such as
Bûcheron (Woodcutter), a poster created for a cabinetmaker that won first prize at the 1925
Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. Cassandre became successful enough that with the help of partners he was able to set up his own advertising agency called Alliance Graphique, serving a wide variety of clients during the 1930s. He is perhaps best known for his posters advertising travel, for clients such as the
Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. He was a pioneer of
airbrush arts. His creations for the
Dubonnet wine company were among the first posters designed in a manner that allowed them to be seen by occupants in moving vehicles. His posters are memorable for their innovative graphic solutions and their frequent denotations to such painters as
Max Ernst and
Pablo Picasso. In addition, he taught
graphic design at the
École des Arts Décoratifs and then at the École d'Art Graphique. With typography an important part of poster design, the company created several new typeface styles. Cassandre developed
Bifur in 1929, the
sans serif Acier Noir in 1935, and in 1937 an all-purpose font called
Peignot. In 1936, his works were exhibited at the
Museum of Modern Art in New York City which led to commissions from
Harper's Bazaar to do cover designs. ==Later career==