Picasso : the art of the poster

Between 1948 and 1966, Pablo Picasso created some 70 posters.

His use of materials, modes of expression and playful creativity are unrivaled.

Most of his posters were designed for the southern French town of Vallauris, as part of advertising campaigns for various arts, crafts and bullfights.

Picasso also received commissions to design posters promoting disarmament and peace.

By masterfully playing with texts, lines, planes and colour he lent each theme its own unique look.

Picasso's incomparable ability to reduce a poster's message to an array of meaningful symbols greatly influenced the historical development of poster art.

Picasso's posters, with their suggestive colours and complexity, are unmistakably reminiscent of his more personal work, yet lose nothing of their advertising function.