Air France - Paris by Cocteau

The Parisian Woman is one of legend - elegant, carefree, and endlessly chic. Jean Cocteau used this motif in his lighthearted design for Air France. Scarf tied around her hair, with the ubiquitous cigarette in hand, the woman gazes out above the City of Lights. Her smoke curls into text, turning into the tracks of an airplane in the sky.

Jean Cocteau (1889 -1963) was a French poet, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. Cocteau was a member of the social elite in Paris and was close with cultural icons such as Pablo Picasso, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Igor Stravinsky, Édith Piaf, and Jean Genet. He sought to explore all arenas of the art world instead of focusing on one branch, which was considered controversial at the time. As an artist, Cocteau belonged to the Return to Order School (coined after one of his literary works), which rejected cubism and the avant-garde. Stylistically, his art combines elements of Romanticism and Surrealism in unique ways.

Air France was formed in 1933 through a merger of several smaller international companies. These smaller airlines had already built extensive networks across the world, and when combined under the Air France umbrella they created an exciting accessibility to fliers. Air France remains one of the most highly regarded international airlines, servicing 78 countries around the world. It served as France's primary national flag carrier for seven decades prior to its 2003 merger with KLM.

Posters have always been essential to Air France’s communications. It has one of the greatest collections in the world with over 1500 posters created by the most famous illustrators. Air France posters are usually striking, with few words, and depict destinations as dream-like and air travel as making dreams come true.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster was printed on heavyweight printmaking paper. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.