Salon de Mai 1971

This original 1971 "Salon de Mai" poster by Man Ray represents a remarkable meeting between one of the twentieth century's greatest avant-garde artists and one of France's most important post-war contemporary art exhibitions.

Created for the Salon de Mai, held from 29 April to 17 May 1971 at the Salles New York, Quai de New York in Paris, the poster embodies the spirit of artistic freedom and experimentation that defined both the artist and the exhibition itself.

Founded in Paris in 1943, the Salon de Mai emerged during the Occupation as an act of resistance against artistic conservatism and censorship. Throughout the post-war decades, it became one of Europe's principal showcases for contemporary art, presenting works by many of the leading figures of modern painting and sculpture including Picasso, Miró, Calder, Vieira da Silva, Poliakoff and countless others.

For the 1971 edition, Man Ray created an image that perfectly reflects his lifelong fascination with abstraction, spontaneity and visual invention. The composition consists of a constellation of organic forms outlined in bold black contours and filled with vivid areas of red, blue and green. The result recalls both biomorphic abstraction and the playful visual language that characterized much of the avant-garde during the twentieth century.

Despite its apparent simplicity, the design demonstrates Man Ray's extraordinary ability to create balance and movement through form and colour alone. The thick black outlines evoke stained glass, cut paper or automatic drawing, while the primary colours generate a sense of rhythm and harmony across the composition.

Born in Philadelphia in 1890, Man Ray became one of the central figures of Dada and Surrealism, working across painting, photography, film, sculpture and object-making. His experimental photographs and rayographs transformed twentieth-century photography, while his friendships with Marcel Duchamp, André Breton and the Parisian avant-garde established him as one of the defining artistic personalities of the century.

By the early 1970s, Man Ray had become an iconic figure of modern art, and commissions such as this poster demonstrate the respect and admiration he commanded within the international art world. Exhibition posters designed by major artists occupy a unique place between graphic design and fine art, often becoming highly collectible works in their own right.

The poster also reflects the evolution of exhibition graphics during the period, moving away from purely typographic announcements toward autonomous artistic creations that function simultaneously as advertisements and original artworks.

Today, original posters created by internationally recognised artists for important cultural institutions are particularly sought after by collectors of modern art, graphic design and twentieth-century ephemera.

Combining the legacy of the Parisian avant-garde with the history of one of France's most important contemporary art salons, this original Salon de Mai 1971 poster stands as an elegant and highly desirable work by one of modern art's true pioneers.

Original poster

Exhibition - Dada - Surrealism

New York rooms

Clot Bramsen & Georges Paris

Good condition, small spots