Louis Icart ~ Art Déco painter

Louis Icart's nickname was Helli derived from his initials L.I. Louis Icart [1890-1950], was a French Art Deco painter and designer. Icart was born in 1890 in Toulouse and died in Paris in 1950. He became most well known as an artist in New York in the 1920's.

His most characteristic theme was glamourous women. During his career he created paintings, lithographs, etchings, pastels, advertisements, posters, book illustrations and more. Born in Toulouse, France, Icart was nicknamed Helli as a boy, which stuck with him even during his artistic career.

As a young man, Icart frequently read the work of Victor Hugo and longed to be an actor. However, he initially studied business and after receiving a business diploma, was called to fight in the war. After a brief service in the military, Icart found himself in Paris where his career as an artist would begin. Icart would never be academically trained in the arts and was almost completely self-taught.