1960s Vintage French Propaganda Poster, Comité Viet-Nam International, 6h Du Monde Pour Le Viet-Nam

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Description

Date: 1960's
Size: 15 x 43 inches
Artist: Max Ernst & Comité Viet-Nam National

About the artist: " Max Ernst … Read more Date: 1960's
Size: 15 x 43 inches
Artist: Max Ernst & Comité Viet-Nam National

About the artist: " Max Ernst achieved a rare feat in the life of an artist, which is to establish a glowing reputation and critical following in three countries (Germany, France, and the United States) in the span of his career. Although Ernst is an artist who is better known by art historians and academics than by the general public today, his influence in shaping the direction of mid-century American art (particularly Abstract Expressionism) is easily recognizable. He had a particularly strong influence on Abstract Expressionismist, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning, to name a few. Max Ernst's arrival in New York during World War II (1941), along with other European avant-garde painters such as Marcel Duchamp, Marc Chagall and Piet Mondrian electrified a generation of American artists. Ernst's rejection of traditional painting, in favor of his own unique techniques (collage, frottage, grattage) captivated young American painters, who similarly sought to forge a fresh and unorthodox approach to painting. " (https://www.max-ernst.com/biography.jsp)

About the poster: This poster, titled 6h du monde pour le Viet-Nam (6 Hours of the World for Vietnam), was produced by the Comité Viet-Nam National to promote a solidarity event held in Paris on Monday, November 28, from 6 p.m. to midnight. The event took place at the Mutualité, a historic venue often associated with leftist gatherings and intellectual debate. Designed during the height of the Vietnam War, the poster features a striking modernist composition with abstract red splatters over a dark background symbolizing violence, conflict, or global turmoil. The lower half uses a bold black and cream design resembling the number six, framing the event’s details. Intellectuals and activists, including Jean-Paul Sartre and Armand Gatti, were scheduled to speak about the reasons for their support of North Vietnam. The event also featured the Paris premiere of a film by Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett, who reported from Viet Cong territory. Additionally, the program included international perspectives, linking the Vietnamese struggle with global anti-imperialist movements, including the experiences of African Americans and other marginalized groups. The entry price of 2 francs made the event accessible to a wide audience, emphasizing mass mobilization and intellectual resistance to American intervention in Vietnam. This poster exemplifies how design, art, and activism intersected in France’s intellectual and political landscape during the 1960s. See less