Air France Arc de Triomphe poster Arc de Triomphe at Night – Paris vintage wall art

Air France Paris poster Arc de Triomphe at Night – Paris vintage wall art Ahh! Bonjour mon cheri! Bienvenue dans la ville de l’amour or Welcome to the City of Love… and we know you’re going to love this Air France Arc de Triomphe poster. Paris is known by many names and for this vintage airline poster, the artist has chosen to portray its well-known moniker as the city of lights to attract visitors to France’s capital city. The iconic image was painted by the French poster artist Pierre Baudonin for Air France, The World’s Largest Airline. Few sights in the world can compare to the vivid nighttime splendour of the French capital. Taking a flight over Paris at night is guaranteed to take your breath away – from your vantage point high up in the sky, there’s a stunningly beautiful variety of striking monuments, vibrant boulevards and sumptuous buildings, all illuminated against the dark night sky. The evocative Air France airline poster airline features an impressive plane’s eye view of not just one or two, but three of France’s most iconic and visited landmarks. The Arc de Triomphe, le Place de l’Etoile and the Champs-Élysées glisten incredibly with their white lights, creating an unrivalled spectacle that once seen remains imprinted on your memory. French landmarks on the Air France Arc de Triomphe poster The artist, Baudonin, has flown us directly over the Arc de Triomphe, one of the most famous landmarks, not only in Paris but in the world. The historical monument honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Its walls are inscribed with the names of the generals who fought and all French victories. The Triumphal Arch of the Star is surrounded by a circle of bright lights and takes centre stage in the evocative poster design. The Arch de Triomphe stands at the western end of the Champs-Élysées, at the centre of what was known at the time the Place de l’Étoile. The Place de ;’Étoile is better known today as the Place de Charles de Gaulle. Its former name certainly described the busy road juncture far more accurately, being the étoile or “star” created by the twelve converging avenues radiating from the Arch. The roundabout is one of the busiest in the world and one of my favorite memories is the day my wife and I climbed the 284 steps of the Arch de Triomphe, just to share coffee and a sandwich whilst watching the madness of the traffic on the Place de Charles de Gaulle! The avenue that runs diagonally from the bottom left to the top right of the poster is the famous Champs-Élysées. Today, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is best known for its theatres, cafés and luxury shops, and to cycling fans as the finish of the Tour de France bicycle race. In 1856 the avenue was described as the “most beautiful avenue in the whole world” by writer Achille Hermant. The only building that doesn’t remain anonymous in Baudouin’s beautiful Paris poster is located at 119 avenue des Champs Elysee. Here a red and white sign is lit up to denote Air France’s travel agency office. We are aware of five versions of this poster, all having been created since the original version in 1947. The original version features a propellor plane in the lower right-hand corner. This version, PARIS Air France The World’s Largest Airline original vintage travel poster was recreated sixteen years later when it was used to advertise the company’s latest aeroplanes and the prop plane has been replaced with an image of a jet flying over Paris.