Bernard VILLEMOT
(1911 – 1989)
"A poster is a drawing, a painting and colours. I'm a painter, a poster artist and draftsman."
Bernard Villemot is one of the most important French graphic designers of the second half of the 20th century.
Through its simple compositions, elegant figures and use of warm, vibrant colours that evoke Matisse's cut-outs, Villemot has produced innovative advertising campaigns, particularly for Air France, Orangina, Perrier and Bally shoes.
From 1932 to 1934, Bernard Villemot studied with Paul Colin, whose advice he retained was "You have to treat a poster like a painting".
Before the Second World War, he worked first as a cartoonist (Le Rire), then created his first posters for the cinema, including Jacques Feyder's "Carnival in Flanders" in 1935. During the war, he worked for official organisations: he decorated the windows of the Sports Commission or made a series of posters "Work, Family, Homeland".
It was only after the war that his work as a poster designer really began: "The pre-war period was my beginning, the war was survival, and my activity really began only after the war, from 1946 onwards", he declared.
He first created posters for La Croix Rouge (1945-46), then in 1947-48 began a series of tourist posters for Air France.
His first Air France posters for North Africa announced his style: large flat tints of colour, minimal lines delivering a simple message, leaving space for the viewer's imagination.
"I may have been the first to treat images in large flat areas of colour, much like Matisse did in painting."
In 1953, Bernard Villemot began his collaboration with Orangina. He created the famous Orangina logo for the brand as well as posters that still remain in the collective memory.
From the 1960s until his death in 1989, he produced posters for Perrier, Contrex, Campari or Bally shoes, to name but a few famous examples. His posters became even more abstract with fewer details and more blocks of colour. Women are often depicted in Villemot's posters: modern, elegant and glamorous. We can see his inspiration sources in his posters of that time: Paul Colin, A.M. Cassandre or L. Cappiello.
The subjects stand out from a plain background, often black, or composed of two strong colours creating a chromatic contrast between them, as in the 1989 Bally poster. The use of sensual and elegant lines create minimalist figures, almost abstract.
Air France, Afrique du Nord
1946
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Air France
1946
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AIR FRANCE, NORTH AFRICA
1948
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Air France, Afrique du Nord (création 1946) variante 1949
1949
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Air France, Afrique du Nord
1950
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Antar, G-Mo, L'huile du silence
circa 1950
CHF 490.–
TAI, Compagnie de transports aériens Intercontinentaux
circa 1950
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Perrier
circa 1950
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L'Énergie Nucléaire, Commissariat à l'énergie atomique
circa 1950
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Air France, Avant la lettre
1952
CHF 1360.–
Air France, French Riviera
1952
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Air France, Maroc Algérie Tunisie
1952
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Air France, France
1952
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Air France, Avant la lettre
1952
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Air France, Côte d'Azur
1952
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Espagne
1953
CHF 970.–
Vichy, Mai-Octobre
1953
CHF 1145.–
Sports d'hiver, France
1954
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Visitez la Côte Basque, le Golf
1954
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Sports d'hiver, France
1954
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Lisieux, centre mondial de pèlerinages
1954
CHF 790.–
Buvez Orangina
circa 1955
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Cigarettes Gitanes Caporal
1955
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Air France Inde
1956
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Perrier Pschitt, Mineralwasser mit natürliche kohlensäure
1957
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Perrier Pschitt, eau minérale gazeuse naturelle
1957
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Vichy
1960
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Charbon, Richesse nationale
circa 1960
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Point "F" fourrures
circa 1965
CHF 1260.–
Vichy-Etat, Bon foie Mesdames... Bon foie Messieurs
circa 1965
CHF 490.–
Emprunt 1966 Electricité de France
1966
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Visitez le Val de Loire
1967
CHF 390.–
Air France, Proche Orient
1967
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Visitez la Côte d' Azur, SNCF
1968
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Bally
1968
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Visitez le Val de Loire, avec les trains et les autocars
1968
CHF 370.–
Paris, Avant la lettre?
circa 1969
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Orangina "fruitillante" à la pulpe d'orange
1970
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SNCF, location de voitures, Service train + auto
1971
CHF 460.–
Bally
circa 1971
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SNCF, une nuit en voiture-lit
1973
CHF 950.–
Bally
1973
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SNCF, une nuit en voiture-lit
1973
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Chaussures Bally, couple de femmes "Les Lotus"
1973
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SNCF, une nuit en voiture-lit
1973
CHF 720.–
Orangina
1974
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Contrexeville
1977
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Perrier
1977
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Bally
1979
CHF 1240.–
Bally
1979
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South American Golf Circuit, Grand prix Pierre Cardin
1979
CHF 360.–
Bally
circa 1980
CHF 940.–
Crosse & Blackwell Tomato Ketchup
circa 1980
CHF 375.–
Contrex
circa 1980
CHF 540.–
Campari
1980
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Fou de soif ? Perrier
1980
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Confiance à Contrex ...avec un régime raisonnable
circa 1980
CHF 960.–
Perrier, couple enlacé
1980
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Perrier
1981
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Perrier, C'est fou…
circa 1981
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Perrier c'est fou.
1981
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Bally, prix de l'affiche française
1982
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Chaussures Bally, prix de l'affiche française
1982
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Orelia
1983
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Perrier, Fou de soif ?
circa 1983
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Perrier, l'eau, l'air, la vie
1983
CHF 250.–
Bally
circa 1985
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Bally
circa 1985
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Orangina, La fidélité d'une marque à un artiste
circa 1986
CHF 340.–
Eugénie les Bains, la cure impériale
1988
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Chaussures Bally
1990
CHF 1490.–
Chaussures Bally
1990
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Chaussures Bally
1990
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