H. BERCOLYF AU PAYS DES BASQUES. Circa 1935.

62x45 1/2 inches. S.E.G., Paris.
Condition B+: restoration along vertical and horizontal folds.
This film poster depicts the folklore, traditions and beauty of the Basque country in the South West of France, with a player of "Pelote Basque", their traditional sport, in the foreground, folkloric dances and the evocation of the sea and the mountains. Basque arts and crafts traditionally use geometric patterns and stylized characters. In the thirties, thanks to artists like the ceramist Cazaux in Ciboure, and the painter Arrue, there was a strong modernist revival of this tradition. This poster clearly belongs to this Basque Art-Deco movement. It is rare for a film poster to have such an artistic touch, and even more rare that it is not listed in the Affiches de Cinema, collections de la Bibliotheque Nationale de France, BNF, editions de L'Amateur, Paris 1995.