Picasso's genius of design is clearly demonstrated in this vibrant
composition, in which he uses paper cut-outs of men's faces, to announce
an exhibition of 180 of his drawings, published by the famed Paris
review "Verve" in Paris.
"Picasso became a successful poster artist... with his intuition
of genius and the virtuosity which accompanied his artistic production,
he began to produce posters of great originality, some of them true
masterpieces... Picasso's posters were mainly aimed at exhibitions
and political themes. They are characterized by the frugal colouring
and the simple, schematic style of drawing. Their conception was
imaginative, full of good humour, and with a personal touch that
marks them as his own" (Picasso
During the 1950s the renowned French printer, Mourlot Freres, printed
most of the "original" posters of the most important artists
of the day. In 1959 they printed the series "Affiches Originales"
for collectors. They are reduced lithographic versions of the "original"
posters created by the contemporary masters, Picasso, Chagall, Braque,
Matisse, Miro, Leger, and Dufy.