​03.02.2025

Exhibition Tip: Ciné-Passion International Film Posters

by Eyes & Ears of Europe

The exhibition Ciné-Passion – International Film Posters at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich presents 75 fascinating poster highlights from 1920 to the present day, running until October 2025. Film history meets artistic freedom: Rather than traditional film stills, the posters showcase condensed, symbolic visual worlds, offering creative interpretations of the film's events – a visual journey through cinema.

Ciné-Passion – A Visual Dive into the History of the Film Poster The Museum für Gestaltung Zürich is dedicating the Ciné-Passion – International Film Posters exhibition to a fascinating genre: the film poster. With 75 selected posters from the 1920s to the present, the exhibition brings film history to life while showcasing the creative diversity of this medium.

The Film Poster as an Independent Work of Art Film posters are much more than mere advertising tools. They serve as visual ambassadors of a film, condensing its atmosphere, theme, and mood into a single image. Even in the early days of cinema, posters evolved into independent works of art that were not only meant to grab the audience's attention but also to influence design trends.

Especially for auteur films, film posters became a field for artistic experimentation. Here, the focus was not on star-studded imagery, but rather on symbolic or abstract depictions of the film’s events. This approach allowed designers to develop new visual languages and pursue creative paths that were far removed from traditional advertising strategies.

A Journey Through Eras and Stylistic Worlds The Ciné-Passion exhibition demonstrates how the film poster evolved over the decades. From the artful, Art Nouveau-influenced posters of the 1920s to the minimalist, graphic approaches of the present, each exhibit reflects the cultural and design trends of its time.

Particularly fascinating is the comparison of different national poster traditions. While American posters, for example, often focused on star-studded and action-packed motifs, Europe and Japan developed subtler, more symbolically condensed designs. This diversity emphasizes the film poster as a mirror of societal and cultural dynamics.

Between Art and Design: The Film Poster as an Interdisciplinary Design Space The film poster straddles the intersection of art, graphic design, and advertising. It combines aspects of communication design with the demands of visual art while simultaneously being part of the film industry. This interdisciplinary role makes it an especially captivating medium.

Poster designers have always had to find a balance between artistic freedom and commercial constraints. How do you present a film in a way that respects its artistic vision while appealing to a broad audience? This question led to innovative solutions and iconic designs that have deeply embedded themselves in the collective visual memory.

Creative Distortion Instead of Obvious Representation The exhibition places a special focus on posters that stand out through creative distortion. Instead of straightforward depictions of actors and film scenes, symbolic and condensed visual worlds are presented. This creates a visual space that leaves much room for interpretation and stimulates the imagination.

Conclusion: A Must-See for Film and Design Enthusiasts Ciné-Passion is more than just an exhibition about film posters – it is a tribute to the art of visual storytelling. Anyone interested in film, design, and the exciting intersections between art and advertising should not miss this show.

museum-gestaltung.ch