Exhibitions

L'AFFICHOMANIA: THE PASSION FOR FRENCH POSTERS

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art / 1934 Poplar Ave. February 1, 2021 - May 30, 2021

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Eugene Grasset, Alphonse Mucha, Jules Cheret, Theophile Alexandre Steinlen

In the late 1870s, Parisians walking about the streets witnessed a brilliant new art form – the color poster. Boulevards were filled with these brilliant color graphics, which quickly supplanted traditional black and white announcements and advertisements. By the 1880s, they were seen everywhere, forming a colorful backdrop to everyday life and spurring a frenzy for collecting them.

Despite their ephemeral nature and commercial origins, posters were passionately collected in their own day by affichomaniacs. Thanks to those early collectors, the era’s most iconic images have survived to present day. L’Affichomania gathers together more than 50 examples from the golden age of French posters in this stunning exhibition that is sure to delight and amuse you.