The great inspirations behind the “Corso”
The greatest Ymagiers of the Nice Carnival were Alexis Mossa, one of the creators of the current Carnival, and his son, Gustav-Adolf Mossa, “Ymagier du Roy Carnaval” for nearly 60 years, from 1902 to 1971. They have really left their mark on the pictorial style of the Nice Carnival. They were succeeded by Damien Lanfranchi and Jean Damiano.
From the 2000s, the Carnival changed course. It required the creators to create projects for floats and giant heads by comic illustrators from the national and international media, who breathed a new style into this traditional art. With the explosive participation of Serguei (from the newspaper Le monde in 2000) and spicy input from Tignous (Charlie Hebdo in 2008). Then the brilliant American Chad Crowe, the man behind King of Fashion in 2020.
We should also pay tribute to Martine Doytier, who passed away too soon, who was the first woman to create the superb official Nice Carnival poster in 1981. She paved the way for young visual artists and local humourists : Kristian and King Euroland, Eusébi and King Arleking in 2003, Virginie Broquet, the only woman to design the 3 official floats in 2019, Patrick Moya, who created a carnival cyberspace, Hervé Moreau, the creators Pignataro and Garcia, and sculptor Gérard Artufel.
Alexis Mossa
The inventor of the Corso (carnival parade) comic strip, he’s one of the creators of the current carnival. In 1882, he created the first float for His Majesty Triboulet, who married the Queen in 1893, for whom this was the first appearance.
Gustav-Adolf Mossa
Gustav-Adolf Mossa was the spiritual father and image maker for a large number of the official parade floats. The true master-thinker of an exceptional world where mythological, folklore and carnival themes became mixed.
Efff d’Hey
Of Belgian origin, Francis Dujardin was born in Canada in 1910. He moved to Nice as a teenager and remained there all his life. Graphic designer, illustrator, Nice poster designer, eminent naturalist … he produced a large number of remarkable illustrations Cubodadaist float in 1931.
Martine Doytier
Martine Doytier painted a work that left its mark on people’s memories and remains one of the most impressive and meaningful Carnival posters.
Serguei Sergio Goizauskas
In 2000, to open the door to the political satire so widely used in Italy, the Argentinian cartoonist, working for the newspaper Le Monde, designed all the floats and elements of the “corso” for the Carnival theme King of the Odysseys.
Tignous
Illustrator and cartoonist for “Charlie Hebdo”, he took part six times in the Nice Carnival in the 2000s. Floats that bore all the hallmarks of political satire and the great burlesque spirit.
Gérard Artufel
Sculptor, designer, painter and Ymagier, trained in the Fine Arts, he can boast of having taken part about fifteen times in Carnival editions.
Kristian
Press cartoonist and visual artist, he created more than 40 floats, including the King in 2002 and 2008 and the Queen in 2006.
Chad Crowe
Chad Crowe is a cartoonist and illustrator whose work has appeared in different publications in the United States such as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and the Houston Press. In 2020, he designed 4 floats, including the King of Fashion float.
Virginie Broquet
A talented visual artist, in 2019, she became the first artist to create the design of the three official floats of the corso – the King, the Queen and Carnavalon – during the King of Cinema edition. In 2020, for the “King of Fashion” Carnival, she designed the “Carnavalon” float, the child of the King and Queen, and that year, there was a big change : Carnavalon was a girl !
Patrick Moya
Since 1994, for the “Carnival King of the Arts”, Moya has participated in the carnival by creating or designing giant heads and floats, or as artistic director.
