fashion studio. The trio came together in May 1968 at the École Nationale
des Arts Decoratifs, where Miehe was a student and one of its political
leaders. The revolution was just beginning. For three weeks they worked
together in the Atelier Populaire No. 2 , where each morning an assembly
decided on the day’s subjects. In the afternoon they designed the posters
that by evening were printed and then sniped on the Paris walls.
By month’s end the May Revolution was over for the Atelier
Populaire. Hastily called national elections offered expedient solutions.
“We were disappointed by the result of the elections,” said Pierre
Bernard, “but for ourselves this invitation to the political discussion was
unforgettable.” Such an electrifying month encouraged the trio to pursue
the idea of influencing society through graphic arts. Despite France’s
venerable satiric arts tradition, French poster art was comprised of
mundane product advertisements—even the best ones said nothing about
society. Although nothing paralleled the Polish energy in the realms of
politics or culture, Bernard was adamant. “We wanted to speak on the walls
about cinema, theatre, poetry, history as had been done in Poland, and
about politics as we had seen in the Cuban magazines,” he said. “We
needed a new type of client.”
Among the most profound changes in government was the
appointment of the author André Malraux as minister of culture. Malraux
established a new school, the Institut de l’Environment, to consolidate
architects, urban planners, and industrial and graphic designers in common
cause. Bernard and Gérard were awarded two-year scholarships by the
institute to research and analyze the propaganda images of the Popular
Front ( 1936 ) and the Coup d’Êtat de Gaulle ( 1958 ). They studied linguistics
and the arts of persuasion, and learned the importance of semiology in
relation to form. They graduated, ironically, right before the school was
closed for being, as the government ruled, a breeding ground for Marxist
agitation. Realizing that scholarly pursuit was not going to affect society
anyway, Grapus was founded to take an activist role in design. Based on the
teachings of the institute and on the practice of collectivism as a means to
render and disseminate ideas, they strove “to make the best image for the
best politics in a materialist way,” said Bernard.
The name Grapus is a nonsense word for graphics, but also refers
to crapules staliniennes, “Stalinist scum,” what the Grapus founders were at
one time called by fellow leftists for being too rebellious. In its infancy the
members of Grapus tried to work for the communist party and labor
unions while they earned money working for advertising agencies. “After
some months,” recalled Bernard, “the two activities could not co-exist. You
cannot simultaneously have two heads, two hearts, and two lunches with
tuis.
(Tuis.)
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