Grapus Posters^31
GrapusThe Paris student revolution of May 1968
was one of the most dramatic political
events in a decade noted for its tumult. In
a modern-day storming of the Bastille, a
coalition of more than ten million students
and workers mounted the barricades to
protest Charles de Gaulle’s aging
conservative government. By the end of
the year the nation was paralyzed by
strikes and demonstrations. In contrast to
the social protest concurrently hitting
many nations, this whirlwind insurgency
actually shook the system, provoking
substantive though temporary concessions.
Intellectuals and workers were
brought to the battlements by their shared
interest in social reform and by their
indignation at the repression—most
aggressively represented by the
paramilitary National Police who were brought in to squelch the protests
through violence. Both groups were further induced by the daily barrage of
critical posters designed by the Atelier Populaire to inform and mobilize
the populace. This group of disparate painters, graphic artists, and art
students produced hundreds of iconic, one-color, brush-and-ink posters
that were pasted all over Paris and became an indelible symbol of the
popular uprising. In keeping with the character of collectivism, these paper
bullets were unsigned by any individual. Yet by the end of the brief
struggle, three of the most vociferous practitioners did become known, if
not individually at first, at least as the graphic arts collective called Grapus,
which later devoted itself to making graphic design for the communist
party, labor unions, and the public interest.
The original principals of Grapus were Pierre Bernard, Gérard
Paris-Clavel, and François Miehe. Each studied in Poland at a different
time under master poster artist Henryk Tomaszewski, where an
appreciation for anarchic design was nurtured. After leaving Poland,
Bernard worked for the magazine Jeune Afriqueand Paris-Clavel at a