Graphic perspectives

Rolland Garros in the spotlight

Here’s an article that’s not really in the news… it’s more of an off-season article!
The 2013 Internationals poster unveiled at the end of 2012… with the tournament kicking off at the end of May… it’s the perfect time to get out the balls and cut some shorts!

International artists

It was in 1980 that Daniel Lelong, director of the gallery of the same name, suggested that the French Tennis Federation entrust the design of the poster to a great name in contemporary art. Valeria Adami signed the 1980 poster, followed by Miro, Arman, Tapies, Pignon-Ernest… Today, David Nash has signed the 34th poster in this collaboration.

In the words of the FFT, it’s a “simple tennis ball. Yellow, solar, burning… In a poetic abstraction. A work that combines strength and delicacy. Between heaven and earth, these balls swirl above an imaginary, invisible net. They express Nash’s creativity and that of the tournament. The brilliance of a sunny Parisian spring is matched by the power of the exchanges on the clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier.

For my part, I would say that this is a good poster for a “MANAA” ( upgrading in applied arts ).
In the history of Roland Garros posters, there have already been a few “gems”.

Posters that cross the white line !

The idea of entrusting the poster design to an artist is a generous one, but the result is far from convincing ! An artist is not necessarily a good graphic designer. The reverse is rarely true either.

L'affiche 2000 de Tapiès comme la première affiche réalisée en moins de 2 secondes
L'affiche 2009 de Klapheck, comme l'affiche la plus crayon de couleur année 70

The finalists !

Fortunately, there were a few successes among the lot !

L'affiche de 1984 par Aillaud traduit bien l'ambiance de l'événement...
Celle de Pignon-Ernest en 1994, certes très classique, raconte bien ce sport sans rien en montrer... juste un geste qui résume tout !

And my favorite is this gorgeous haircut !

198O Adami
1981 Eduardo Arroyo
1982 Folon
1983 Vladimir Velickovic
1984 Razzia
1984 Aillaud
1985 Jacques Monory
1986 Kollar
1987 Titus-Carmel
1988 Alechinsky
1989 De Maria
1990 Garache
1991 Miro
1992 Voss
1994 Pignon-Ernest
1995 Lipski
1996 Meurice
1997 Saura
1998 Télémaque
1999 Ségui
2000 Tapies
2001 Scully
2002 Arman
2003 Hammond
2004 Humair
2005 Plensa
2006 Förg
2007 Shepherd
2009 Klapheck
2010 Malini Nalini
2011 Barthélémy Toguo
2012 Hervé Di Rosa
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