A risqué painting by George Barbier depicting the inside of an opulent opium den. George Barbier was one of the most celebrated and in-demand artists of post-WWI France. He was part of a group of elite and rebellious artists who hailed from the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he had been a student for two years. Barbier would produce works of art ranging from elegant and often erotic Art Deco-style paintings, jewelry designs for Cartier, and even costumes that were used in Parisian theater, ballet, and films. He dressed Rudolph Valentino in the 1924 film Monsieur Beaucaire and Josephine Baker during her time performing at the Casino de Paris, which would sadly turn out to be one of Barbier’s last collaborations. The multi-talented Frenchman would pass away at the rather young age of 50 in 1932, and his huge body of work was quickly forgotten. Born into affluence, Barbier’s parents were import/export merchants that resided in Nantes, France. As a youth, Barbier demonstrated his artistic proficiency and would often pass the time in the town’s museum replicating the artwork that hung on the walls. Before he became a student at École des Beaux-Arts, it is said...