Michel Quarez was born in 1938 in Damascus, Syria. After returning to France, Quarez trained at the l’Ecole National Superiéure des Arts Décoratifs, a school for Arts & Design. Later, Quarez was to study under the Polish poster artist, Henryk Tomaszewski, known to many as the “father” of the Polish Poster School.
After a career in art and advertising, which mainly included working as an illustrator, Quarez began to design posters. Many of them were screen-printed in bright, bold colours. This was to become a trademark for Quarez and his designs. Fluro yellow, vivid greens, neon pink and deep blues- colours that would attract passerby’s on the streets. His posters demand attention. Most of the works were centred around a particular theme or place, Saint Denis (norther suburb of Paris) for example, which has a predominately high immigrant community, where Quarez lived himself.
Quarez frequently addressed issues such as discrimination, homophobia, the fight against AIDS, unemployment and social inequality. His bright designs added colour and humour to the streets; his strong political views sparking conversation and intrigue.
Quarez passed away on December 8th, 2021 and leaves behind a legacy, his posters are as relevant today as they were thirty years ago. Quarez occupies a current place in the landscape of art and poster design.
“The street is my gallery and I make no distinction between painting and making a poster” – Michel Quarez
View our collection of Quarez posters: here
Photos from Carolien Garvelink-Glazenburg