This original 1936 French travel poster was designed by Jean Piaubert for the P-O-Midi railway network. Entitled La Côte Basque, it promoted rail travel to the fashionable seaside resorts and verdant landscapes of France’s Basque coast.
A monumental chistera, the curved wicker glove used in Basque pelota, sweeps through the composition and frames an idyllic coastal scene. Two bathers stand in the shallow water beside striped beach tents, while green hills, a traditional Basque house and distant mountain peaks extend towards the horizon.
The unusual scale of the chistera creates an immediately recognisable regional symbol and gives the design its striking sense of movement. Published by A.G. Paris, this poster printed in lithograph combines delicate landscape painting with bold typography and an inventive Art Deco composition.
Jean Piaubert was a French painter and graphic artist who later became an important figure in post-war abstraction. This early figurative work already demonstrates his interest in simplified forms, carefully balanced colours and strong visual construction.
An imaginative example of interwar French railway advertising, this original poster would make a distinctive addition to a collection devoted to the Basque Country, traditional sports, seaside travel or twentieth-century graphic design.
Original Poster
Tourism - Basque Country - France
Basque Pelota - Chistera
Printed by A.G. in Paris
Good condition, stains, one repaired tear
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