XIIIeme Salon de Mai 1956

Striking, sculptural, and unmistakably modern, this original 1956 poster was created for the XIIIème Salon de Mai, held at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Featuring a bold black-and-white composition by Pablo Picasso, the poster exemplifies the artist’s mastery of form and gesture, even within the constraints of a monochromatic palette.

At the center of the design is a powerful cubist figure—both abstract and immediately human—rendered in stark lines and flattened planes. The overlapping faces and fragmented hands speak to Picasso’s enduring fascination with duality, identity, and emotion. It’s a visual language he revolutionized earlier in the century and continued to refine with astonishing freedom and inventiveness. Though stripped of color, the image pulses with intensity and movement, capturing the raw dynamism that defined much of mid-century modern art.

The typography, clean and impactful, places the emphasis where it belongs: on the Salon de Mai, a key post-war exhibition platform in Paris that championed contemporary and avant-garde art. Running from May 4 to 30, 1956, the show gathered the most progressive voices in painting, sculpture, and printmaking, with Picasso lending not only his work but also his graphic vision to its promotion.

More than an announcement, this poster is a collectible artifact of the vibrant cultural dialogue that shaped postwar Europe. It encapsulates the moment when tradition and experimentation collided—where Picasso, ever the provocateur, continued to challenge and redefine the boundaries of modern art.

Exhibition - Abstract

Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris

Printed by Mourlot

Good condition