Côte d'Azur | 1951

Côte d'Azur, 1951, by Edmond Céria

This captivating travel poster depicts an idyllic Mediterranean coastal scene of the French Riviera. In the foreground, several empty café tables with wicker chairs are positioned beneath a striped awning, creating an inviting space that frames the view. Beyond this shaded terrace, three tall palm trees with distinctive curved trunks stand sentinel on a golden sandy beach. The middle ground reveals small fishing boats moored at a jetty. The composition opens to a bright blue sea dotted with white sailing boats, while distant purple mountains rise along the horizon beneath a pale blue sky with scattered clouds. The entire scene is rendered in vibrant colours and loose, painterly brushstrokes that capture the warmth and light of the Mediterranean. At the bottom of the poster, "CÔTE D'AZUR" appears in bold blue uppercase letters, with "SOCIÉTÉ NATIONALE DES CHEMINS DE FER FRANÇAIS" in smaller gold text beneath it.

This poster was commissioned by the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF), France's national state-owned railway company, in 1951 as part of their post-war tourism marketing campaign. The early 1950s represented an important period of recovery and renewal for both French tourism and the railway system following World War II. SNCF, which had been formed in 1938 through the nationalisation of France's five largest railway companies, was actively working to rebuild and modernise the country's rail infrastructure while simultaneously promoting domestic tourism to help revitalise the French economy. The Côte d'Azur (French Riviera), with its mild climate, beautiful beaches and glamorous resorts, was one of France's premier tourist destinations during this period, attracting both domestic and international visitors. The poster's emphasis on leisure, beauty and tranquillity reflects the post-war desire to return to normalcy and recapture the region's reputation as a sophisticated holiday destination, accessible to travellers via the French national railway system.

Edmond Céria (1884-1955) was a respected French painter known for his impressionistic landscapes and town scenes. Born in Évian-les-Bains in the Haute-Savoie region of France, Céria received his formal artistic training at the prestigious Académie Julian in Paris. He began exhibiting his work in 1907 at the Salon des Artistes Indépendants and later showed at the Salon d'Automne from 1912 and the Salon des Tuileries from 1925. Céria's artistic style was heavily influenced by post-impressionism, particularly the work of Paul Cézanne, and he became known for his sensitive treatment of light and colour in landscapes. Throughout his career, he had successful solo exhibitions at prominent galleries including the Galerie Bernheim in Paris and the Wildenstein Gallery in New York. During the 1950s, Céria was among several notable French artists commissioned by SNCF to create travel posters promoting various French destinations.