Atelier Populaire!
Atelier Populaire or Popular Workshop is described in the MoMA’s Eye on Europe exhibition catalogue* as, “a renegade print workshop established at Paris’s Ecole des Beaux-Arts to make posters in service to the cause.” The cause in question was the student uprisings that rocked France and shut down Paris in the Spring of 1968. Often working around the clock to create new graphics that responded to the events unfolding each day around the city. Employing a bold graphic language and technically expedient print techniques the group attacked the status quo with a marxist informed message and a Situationists belief in art’s ability to change the world. While there isn’t a lot of residue left from their ephemeral street posters, you can find a decent recap of their adventures on Will Kane’s retro-oriented blog here and links to a near-comprehensive archive of their work here.
*(The Eye on Europe catalogue is a stunning resource that along with it’s authors, Deborah Wye and Wendy Weitman deserve further postings.)
Eye on Europe is a great resource. I have a copy and I’ve been meaning to post a review but it’s so comprehensive that it overwhelms me. Maybe best digested in small doses? I like the idea of doing a multi-post review. In the case of Eye on Europe, it’s totally deserved.
[…] can see some similarities in the graphic style of the Atelier Populaire poster La lutte continue, and this AIDS poster, Think condoms please. The transmutation of one object into another and the […]
[…] Posted on December 2, 2010 by atelierpopulaire There’s a nice article over on the Printeresting blog with some rare pictures of inside the Atelier Populaire. We can see the workshop, the students […]