This striking original Air France travel poster promoting Germany was designed circa 1960 by Jacques Nathan-Garamond, whose printed signature “Nathan” appears along the lower left edge. Printed in lithograph by Perceval in Paris, it belongs to the celebrated series of destination posters commissioned by Air France during the golden age of international travel.
Nathan-Garamond was an influential figure in post-war French graphic design. His work combined modernist geometry, powerful colour contrasts and highly legible imagery, making him particularly suited to the sophisticated visual identity developed by Air France during the 1950s and 1960s.
Rather than portraying a particular German city, the artist assembles a colourful collection of cultural and architectural symbols. Medieval castles, an onion-domed bell tower and half-timbered houses rise behind a monumental decorated beer stein resting upon a richly patterned red textile.
The deep emerald-green background intensifies the brilliant yellows, blues, reds and pinks of the composition. Simplified geometric forms, overlapping planes and softly textured areas give the image an almost collage-like quality, while the bold Air France lettering provides a strong graphic framework.
An evocative example of mid-century airline advertising, this original poster combines travel history, European cultural imagery and refined modernist design. Its exceptionally decorative palette and unmistakable German motifs make it especially appealing to collectors of Air France memorabilia, vintage travel posters and twentieth-century graphic art.
Original Poster
Airline - Tourism - Germany
Perceval Paris
Good condition, slight restorations
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