Born Adolphe Jean-Marie in Kharkov, Ukraine to French parents, Cassandre settled in Paris in 1915. After a brief stint at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts he enrolled in Lucien Simon's independent studio, followed by the Académie Julian. Needing to earn a living he began working for the Parisian printing house Hachard at the Place de la Madelaine. Very quickly Cassandre forged a highly distinctive style inspired by cubism and surrealism. 'Au Bûcheron' (1923), a poster created for a cabinetmaker won first prize at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs. Quickly, Cassandre became successful enough that with the help of partners he was able to set up his own advertising agency called Alliance Graphique. Serving a large variety of clientele it produced a large number of widely acclaimed posters.

During the 1930s, his creations for the Dubonnet wine company were among the first posters designed in a manner that allowed them to be seen by occupants in fast-moving vehicles. In 1936, following a successful retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Cassandre began designing covers for Harper's Bazaar. After a brief spell in the French army, he began to focus on easel painting. His work was exhibited at the Galerie René Drouin in Paris in 1942, and up until the mid-Fifties he neglected his poster art almost completely, continuing to work on painting and spending a great deal of time on set and costume designs for the theatre.

Cassandre died in poverty and depression in Paris in 1968, but his achievements were considerable. Many of his posters remain highly distinctive, perhaps his most famous being, 'Watch the Fords Go By' (1937). His logo for Yves Saint Laurent, designed in 1963 is still one of the most recognisable images in contemporary society. He was concerned with precision and strong images. Many of his posters are largely figurative, but there is a definite Surrealist influence, and they are memorable for their innovative graphic solutions and their frequent denotations to such painters as Picasso and Max Ernst.