France Etats-Unis 5/5 Comme des Félins 1985

This vibrant original poster created in 1985 by Robert Combas was produced for the exhibition "France – États-Unis 5/5 : Comme des Félins", held at L'ARC – Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris from 22 October 1985 to 17 February 1986.

A major figure of the French Figuration Libre movement, Combas transforms the exhibition announcement into a work of art in its own right, dominated by an exuberant feline figure whose oversized grin, piercing green eyes and exaggerated features immediately capture the viewer's attention.

The exhibition formed part of the celebrated "France/USA 5/5" cultural exchange programme, launched in 1985 to strengthen artistic dialogue between France and the United States. "Comme des Félins" brought together some of the most important contemporary artists of the period around the symbolic and expressive figure of the cat.

The poster itself lists several of the participating artists, including Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Combas, Hervé Di Rosa, François Boisrond, Rémi Blanchard and Louis Jammes, illustrating the close connections between the French Figuration Libre movement and the emerging New York art scene of the 1980s.

Combas' central cat embodies the playful irreverence that defined Figuration Libre. Combining graffiti aesthetics, comic-book influences, popular culture and primitive art references, the artist rejects traditional hierarchies between high and low culture in favor of spontaneous, energetic and accessible imagery.

The bold palette of black, red, yellow and green, together with the handwritten text and deliberately raw drawing style, reflects the artistic freedom that characterized the movement. The composition appears almost improvised, yet its visual rhythm and graphic intensity demonstrate Combas' remarkable control of colour and form.

Founded in the early 1980s by artists including Robert Combas, Hervé Di Rosa, François Boisrond and Rémi Blanchard, Figuration Libre emerged as the French counterpart to Neo-Expressionism and the New York graffiti movement, embracing popular imagery and direct visual expression in opposition to conceptual and minimalist art trends.

The inclusion of American artists such as Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat highlights the international nature of this new artistic language and captures a pivotal moment in transatlantic contemporary art history.

Today, original exhibition posters connected to the Figuration Libre movement and to the legendary artistic exchanges between Paris and New York during the 1980s are increasingly sought after by collectors of contemporary art and post-war graphic design.

Combining the energy of street culture, the freedom of Neo-Expressionism and the unmistakable visual universe of Robert Combas, "France – États-Unis 5/5 : Comme des Félins" stands as an iconic testimony to one of the most exciting artistic moments of the 1980s.

Original Serigraphy

Exhibition - Free Figuration - Pop Art

Museum of modern Art - Haring - Basquiat - di Rosa - Boisrond - Grash - Kwong Chi - Sharf - Jammes - Blanchard

Arte Paris

Good condition, light folds