News: Talk in Geneva, Switzerland, about scandalous posters
received from Coranda Pierrehumbert

Invitation card

La Bibliothèque de Genève a le plaisir de vous rappeler la Conférence de Brigitte Grass et Coranda Pierrehumbert samedi 17 mai, 2014, à 18h00 Affiches à scandale Des premières chevilles dénudées au porno-chic d'aujourd'hui, en passant par les "super-cocottes" des années '50, une observation de l'image de la femme de la fin du XIXe siècle à nos jours. L'événement fait partie de la Nuit des Musées : Entrée payante, Super-pass adultes Frs 10.- (enfants gratuits) Cette entrée donne droit à l'entrée dans toutes les institutions participantes ainsi qu'aux navettes. La conférence est précédée, à 17h, par une visite commentée de l'exposition "500 ans au quotidien, histoire de femmes"

The Research Department of Posterpage, always curious, thorough and open minded, asked what a rock solid and serious institution like the University Library of Geneva (Calvin's hometown!) has to do with a rather racy poster like the one partly shown on the invitation card above? In the first phase of their investigation, they found a full view of the poster, including the artists signature Aslan. Next was the discovery that there also exists an uncensored version, without ear ring.

Poster by Aslan, c. 1980

Poster by Aslan, c. 1980, uncensored version

Next, after extensive googling, two more versions turned up which may help to answer the original question what kind of material these curators are collecting in Geneva? Both posters are for the night club Bataclan, which had to close a few years ago, because the Geneva authorities found the dancing girls a little bit too pretty for the customers of the club. Now, the municipal library is quite likely the Legal Deposit of Geneva, so they have to get a copy of all printed material in the city and preserve it forever. It is the law to collect these posters, nothing else, you understand? Anyway, the guys at our Research Department got quite interested in the artist Aslan who has created these superb pictures and found a Pinterest site with many more of his works, all worthy of close scrutinity ;-).

Poster by Aslan, Version for Bataclan

Poster by Aslan, Version for Bataclan

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