Apollinaire en académicien 1969

This striking original 1969 poster was created by Pablo Picasso for the exhibition Apollinaire en académicien, held at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris from October 22 to November 30, 1969. The show paid tribute to the life and literary legacy of Guillaume Apollinaire, poet, critic, and pioneer of modernist thought, whose influence spanned Cubism, Surrealism, and the avant-garde.

The poster features a bold and whimsical portrait by Picasso of Apollinaire dressed as a French academician — a playful and ironic nod to the poet’s stature in the literary world. Picasso and Apollinaire shared a deep personal and creative friendship, making this image not only a promotional piece, but also a visual homage by one modern master to another.

Printed to accompany the retrospective, this poster is both a collector’s piece and a cultural artifact — a collaboration between two of the 20th century’s most influential creative forces.

Ideal for collectors of modern art, literary history, or Picasso ephemera, this work captures the unique energy of postwar Parisian intellectual life.

Exhibition - Literature

National Library

Printed by London in Paris

Good condition, dirt, restorations