Avril 1950, Max Ernst, Galerie René Drouin, 17 Place Vendôme
Max Ernst
French and American, born Germany. 1891–1976
1950
A lithographic exhibition poster by Max Ernst made to announce his April 1950 show at Galerie René Drouin, using surreal, masklike imagery and expressive lettering to intrigue viewers.
You’re struck first by a red, helmeted face with hollow, goggle-like eyes sketched in urgent, crayon-like strokes, while the large, hand-drawn title and looping script press forward like a theatrical curtain, mixing playfulness and unease.
The poster shows how a leading Surrealist translated experimental pictorial methods into commercial printing, blurring the line between avant-garde art and graphic design and helping redefine how exhibitions were publicly presented in the postwar period.
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
24 x 16 3/4" (61.1 x 42.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of the artist
Accession
475.1951
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
