This early 20th-century oil painting by Belgian artist Henri Privat-Livemont (1861-1936) depicts the artist in thought.The fabulous art nouveau period with its sinuous lines, natural forms, and flowing architecture was the making of Henri Privat-Livemont. His sensuous posters featuring attractive females are now iconic, highly sought after and on par with his celebrated contemporary, Alphonse Mucha.He began his career as a decorative designer, more of a muralist, working in ‘sgraffiti’. But found his way into poster design purely by chance, after winning a local competition. Before long, numerous brands were hounding him with commissions, particularly following his masterpiece for Absinthe Robette.Here, in a self-portrait from 1923, we see his wily experienced eyes musing on his next work. By the 1920s, the fashions were changing towards Art Deco and he’d begun to focus more of his time on painting.During the latter part of his career, he continued to depict the female ...