Eugène Samuel Grasset (French pronunciation: [øʒɛn samɥɛl ɡʁasɛ]; 25 May 1845 – 23 October 1917) was a Swiss[1] decorative artist who worked in Paris, France in a variety of creative design fields during the Belle Époque.
Here he met Viollet le Duc, whose reflection on the Middle Ages and the method advocating the link between form, function and material came to permeate Grasset's work.
In 1877 Eugène Grasset turned to graphic design, producing income-generating products such as postcards and eventually postage stamps for both France and Switzerland.
Grasset had freely adapted the alphabet of Nicolas Jenson (1471) with the intention of using it to print a book on his own method for ornamental composition, inspired by the courses he gave to the Guérin school.
Among his students were Paul Berthon, Georges Bourgeot, Paul Follot, Marcelle Gaudin, Augusto Giacometti, Arsène Herbinier, Anna Martin, Mathurin Méheut, Juliette Milési, Otto Ernst Schmidt, Auguste Silice, Maurice Pillard Verneuil, Aline Poitevin, Pierre Selmersheim, Tony Selmersheim, Camille Gabriel Schlumberger, Eliseu Visconti, and Philippe Wolfers At the Universal Exhibition of 1900 in Paris, the G. Peignot et Fils typefoundry introduced the "Grasset" typeface, an Italic design created by Eugène Grasset in 1898 for use on some of his posters.
Additionally, Grasset collaborated with jeweler Henri Vever, showcasing works such as the intricate 'Hercules' pendant, praised for its detailed artistry and mythological inspiration.