Roland-Garros Posters: When Tennis Meets Contemporary Art
Roland-Garros has one of sport's most distinctive poster traditions. Rather than treating the annual poster as routine event graphics, the tournament has repeatedly invited artists to interpret tennis in their own visual language.
The result is a series that can be collected as sporting history, graphic design and contemporary art.
A modern artist-poster tradition
The official artist-poster programme associated with Roland-Garros developed in the late twentieth century, so it is misleading to imply that today's annual art-poster format stretches unchanged back to the tournament's nineteenth-century origins.
What makes the modern series interesting is precisely the succession of different artists and approaches.
Jean-Michel Folon, 1982
Folon's 1982 design turns the tennis court into something almost dreamlike. It is recognisably Roland-Garros without relying on a conventional action photograph.
The artist changes; the event remains
Later commissions include very different visual languages. Antonio Seguí's 1999 poster, Günther Förg's 2006 design, Konrad Klapheck's 2009 poster and Vik Muniz's 2017 work demonstrate how flexible the brief can be.
Why collectors like the series
There is continuity without uniformity. A collector can follow the tournament chronologically, focus on a particular artist, or simply choose one design that captures tennis in an unexpected way.
Original issue matters
As with other event posters, distinguish the official period poster from later decorative reproductions. Date, dimensions, printing and edition should be clearly described.
Our authenticity guide explains the checks we use.
Sport can be serious graphic culture
The Roland-Garros series is a good argument against treating sports posters as a separate, lesser category. At their best they document the event while giving an artist room to make something unmistakably their own.
Explore our original sports posters for more.
Explore the posters featured above: Roland-Garros 1984 · Roland-Garros 1992 · Roland-Garros 1996 · Roland-Garros 1997 · Roland-Garros 2001. You can also explore our collecting guide, authenticity guide, condition guide and framing guide.