Train Exposition des Artistes 1935

This 1935 original gouache poster project by French artist Janine Bodinel was created to promote the Train Exposition des Artistes, an exhibition presenting painting, decorative arts, and sculpture in the northern French city of Cambrai.

The exhibition, scheduled from October 15 to October 19, aimed to showcase a range of artistic disciplines, as indicated on the poster: Peintures – Art Décoratif – Sculptures. The event was part of a broader cultural movement in interwar France that sought to bring contemporary art to a wider public through traveling exhibitions and regional cultural initiatives.

The poster’s design reflects the modernist graphic language of the 1930s, combining geometric forms with stylized imagery. At the center of the composition appears a monumental sculptural figure alongside simplified objects and architectural shapes. These elements are arranged within angular planes of color—green, red, and white—creating a layered composition that suggests both exhibition display and modern architectural space.

Executed in gouache, a medium widely used by poster designers of the time, the work reveals the process behind professional poster production. Artists typically created a painted model or maquette, which would later be adapted for lithographic printing. Such original projects are particularly valuable today because they preserve the artist’s hand and the visual experimentation that preceded the final printed poster.

The composition also reflects the influence of modern design movements of the period, including Art Deco, characterized by bold geometry, stylized figures, and strong contrasts of color. These elements were widely used in exhibition and cultural posters to convey modernity and artistic innovation.

Today, original gouache poster projects like Train Exposition des Artistes (1935) are highly appreciated by collectors and historians of graphic design. They represent a rare glimpse into the creative process of early twentieth-century poster art and illustrate the vibrant cultural life of regional France during the interwar years.

Gouache poster project

Railway - Painting - Art

Good condition, pin holes, dirt