Musée National d'Art Moderne 1976

Created in 1976, this original exhibition poster by Simon Hantaï was produced for his major retrospective at the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris, held from May 26 to September 13, 1976. Organized by the Centre National d'Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou, the exhibition marked one of the most important institutional recognitions of Hantaï's groundbreaking contribution to post-war abstract painting.

The poster faithfully reproduces one of Hantaï's celebrated "Tabulas", a series that became synonymous with his mature artistic practice. Dominated by an intense cobalt blue interrupted by an irregular white grid, the composition exemplifies the artist's revolutionary pliage (folding) technique. Rather than painting directly onto a stretched canvas, Hantaï folded the canvas into complex configurations before applying pigment. When unfolded, untouched areas emerged as luminous white networks, creating compositions that balanced spontaneity, geometry, and chance.

This innovative process allowed Hantaï to challenge traditional ideas of composition and authorship. The resulting pattern appears both carefully structured and organically unpredictable, producing a remarkable tension between order and freedom. The striking contrast between saturated blue and brilliant white gives the work an exceptional visual rhythm while emphasizing the physical presence of the painted surface.

By the mid-1970s, Simon Hantaï had established himself as one of the most influential abstract painters working in France. Originally from Hungary, he settled in Paris after the Second World War and initially worked within Surrealist circles before developing an entirely original artistic language. His pliage method, introduced in the early 1960s, profoundly influenced subsequent generations of European abstract artists and remains one of the defining innovations of post-war painting.

Issued to promote this landmark retrospective, the poster is both an exhibition announcement and an authentic representation of Hantaï's artistic vision. Its minimalist typography, generous white margins, and powerful reproduction reflect the refined graphic standards of the Musée National d'Art Moderne during the 1970s, allowing the artwork itself to occupy center stage.

Today, this original 1976 exhibition poster is highly sought after by collectors of post-war abstraction, French exhibition posters, and twentieth-century graphic design. Combining museum history with one of Simon Hantaï's most iconic visual motifs, it stands as both an important cultural document and an elegant decorative work that embodies the radical innovation of European abstract art.

Screen printing

Abstract - Blue - Exhibition

National and culture center George Pompidou

Besson Chatou

Very good state