ART & ARTISTS: Jean Carlu

Friday, 12 September 2025

Jean Carlu - part 2

Born in Bonnières, France, Jean Carlu came from a family of architects and studied to enter that profession. After an accident at the age of eighteen in which he lost his right arm, Carlu turned to graphic design. His early work reveals a fascination with the angular forms and spatial nuances of Cubism.

As Carlu's work evolved over the next two decades, it continued to show a concern with the geometric shapes of Cubism, but this was manifested in very different ways. Carlu sought to create a symbolic language in which color, line, and content would represent emotional values. His work thus achieved a distinctive, streamlined economy of form, rarely incorporating narrative or illustrative elements.

Carlu spent the years of World War II in the United States, where he executed a number of important poster designs for the government's war effort. Characterized by the same scientific precision of form as his other work, these designs were well suited to the promotion of industrial efficiency. Both American and international design traditions continue to reflect his influence.

This is part 2 of a 2-part post on the woks of Jean Carlu:

1941 Give 'em Both Barrels
offset lithograph 39 x 50.8 cm
MoMA, New York

1941 America open your eyes!
lithograph published in Fortune magazine 34.3 x 26.6 cm

1941 Repaying Nature's Riches, from the Early Series
gouache on paperboard 56.7 x 50.5 cm
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC

1942 America's answer! Production
offset lithograph 76.2 x 101.6 cm
MoMA, New York

1942 In One Organisation, from the Early Series
gouache on paperboard 50.1 x 42.6 cm
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC

1942 Gift Packages for Hitler! from the Early Series
gouache and gelatin silver print collage on paper 73.3 x 50.8 cm
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC

c1945 Entre le Marteau.. et L'Enclume
(Between the Hammer and the Anvil)
lithograph 134.6 x 92.7 cm

1947 Stop 'Em to Sell 'Em, Subway Posters
lithograph 114.9 x 73.7 cm
MoMA, New York

1949 To Paris: Pan American World Airways
lithograph 109.5 x 71 cm

1949 Now Direct Clipper Flights to Gateway to the Riviera
Pan American World Airways
lithograph 42 x 30 cm

1949 Fly to Europe
Pan American World Airlines
lithograph 106.6 x 70.5 cm

c1950 offrez un livre de la collection Larousse
(offer a book from the Larousse collection)
lithograph 49.5 x 36 cm