Reimagining the Riviera Through Poster Art

Reimagining the Riviera Through Poster Art

JACK ARTS, in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts, invited UK-based artists, photographers, designers and illustrators to respond creatively to the opening of the major exhibition Painting the French Riviera.

The project explored the enduring visual language of the French Riviera and the influential role vintage travel posters played in shaping its identity as a destination synonymous with elegance, glamour, aspiration and sunshine. Inspired by the themes of the exhibition, artists were challenged to reinterpret this iconic visual history through a contemporary lens, creating new works that celebrated the relationship between art, travel and place.

The winning artworks were displayed across central London to coincide with the opening of Painting the French Riviera., bringing the spirit and visual language of the exhibition beyond the gallery and into the streets of London.

Read on to meet the artists and discover the stories behind their work.

03.08.26

Words by JACK ARTS

Winners:

Elizabeth Power
Emily Bornoff
George Hounsome
Jacqui Mair
Yulong Lli
Zya Santuario

Elizabeth Power

Elizabeth Power, I Dream Of You

In I Dream Of You, Power brings together the vivid colour and expressive abstraction that define her practice, creating a world that feels both familiar and dreamlike. Her work reflects on ‘personal and collective experiences’, inviting viewers to engage with the narratives within her paintings while offering an opportunity to ‘escape to the calm and dynamic worlds’ she creates. The painting’s warmth, colour and energy reflect her interest in using abstraction ‘I want the viewer to feel they can step into the painting, but keeping my style loose and sketchy enough so that it is capturing a treasured moment in time.’

Elizabeth Power is a Hastings-based artist known for vibrant, colour-led paintings exploring memory, escapism and identity. Her loose, expressive abstraction draws on artists including Matisse, Hockney, Hilma af Klint, Alex Katz and Lois Dodd. Her work has been featured by Vogue, the Royal Academy of Arts, Soho House, John Lewis, House & Garden and the London Design Festival.

@elizabethpowerart

I Dream Of You, by Elizabeth Power

Emily Bornoff, Cote D’Azur

For Côte d’Azur, Bornoff researched the French Riviera during the 1920s, drawing on its atmosphere of celebration, glamour and modern leisure. She wanted to capture ‘the essence of the Riviera, the sunshine, sea, champagne, sunbathing which had just become the fashion’, alongside the nightlife of the period. F. Scott Fitzgerald and Picasso feature within the composition, while there is also a nod to the Le Negresco hotel, described by Bornoff as ‘a playground of the roaring twenties’. Influenced particularly by Dufy and Matisse, the work combines Flashe paint, watercolour and pochoir.

Emily Bornoff is a London-based illustrator, book designer and printed textile designer. Travel, mid-century illustration, textiles, folk art, architecture and nature all influence her work, with location drawing playing an important role in her practice. She works across painting and printmaking, combining handmade imagery digitally and experimenting with colour, pattern and mark making.

@emilybornoff

Emily Bornoff

Cote D'Azur, by Emily Bornoff

George Hounsome, Cat d’Azur

The inspiration for Cat d’Azur came from seeing her cat, Stripes, ‘in the sunshinei. Orange cats have long been associated with ‘light, warmth and joy’, and Hounsome also draws on her enjoyment of discovering local cats when travelling. For the poster, the artist imagined ‘a beautiful French cat lounging under one of the famous blue and white umbrellas of the Côte d’Azur’. They began with her favourite Pentel brush pen, describing its thick black ink as creating a ‘lovely, immediate and fresh line’, before bringing the elements together digitally and adding a warm palette inspired by vintage travel posters.

George Hounsome is an illustrator whose work combines expressive drawing, bold colour and digital composition. The Cat d’Azur poster design grew from an everyday source of inspiration: her cat, Stripes, enjoying the sunshine, alongside her love of travel imagery and drawing.

@grh_artist

Cat d’Azur, by George Hounsome

Jacqui Mair

Jacqui Mair's workshop

Jacqui Mair, Cassis en Vacance

For Cassis en Vacance, Mair drew on her longstanding connection with the South of France, having visited as a student, teacher and tourist. She describes the region as having ‘a hot magic which I love through the works of Matisse, Dufy, Picasso and many more’. The competition also brought her back to ‘being an illustrator, the thrill of a brief and playing with ideas in a sketch book’. Created while she was on holiday in France, the collage evolved through numerous versions before being assembled from painted and found papers.

Jacqui Mair has spent more than forty years working across Fine Art and Illustration, alongside teaching internationally. After studying at the Royal College of Art, she developed a particular love of paper, collage and print. Travel has remained a strong influence on her practice, while sketchbooks provide an important space for experimentation. Based in Southsea, Mair works across commissioned projects and her own practice.

@JHMair

Cassis en Vacance, by Jacqui Mair,

Yulong Lli, Joy at the Window

Joy at the Window explores atmosphere, colour and the emotional experience of place drawing on research into the region and Matisse, whilst being inspired by the light and colour of the Mediterranean. Rather than depicting a particular landmark, Lli wanted to capture ‘an atmosphere, the vibrant warmth, sun-drenched breeze, and quiet leisure felt through a window view’. Like the vintage travel posters that inspired the project, the work aims to evoke ‘a sensory feeling of escape and a universal longing for a sunlit destination’.

Yulong Lli is a London-based Chinese illustrator and visual artist working across branding, editorial and campaign visuals for fashion, lifestyle and luxury brands. Collaborating with clients across the US, China and Europe, he creates illustrations for campaigns, packaging and brand storytelling.

@yulonglli

Yulong Lli

Joy at the Window, by Yulong Lli

Zya Santuario, Côte d’Azur Umbrellas

For Côte d’Azur Umbrellas, Santuario focused on the striped umbrellas lining the beaches of Nice, using them as ‘graphic shorthand for the breezy, sun-soaked spirit of the French Riviera’. The simple, recognisable forms allowed her to connect her graphic-design background with the vintage travel-poster brief, creating an image that evokes a strong sense of place through colour, shape and composition.

Zya Santuario is a Mexican multidisciplinary artist based in London. Her practice began in graphic design, shaping her approach to colour, line and composition, before she moved into Visual Development in Rome. She works across traditional sketching and digital tools, particularly Procreate, using bold shapes and confident colour palettes to distil places and experiences into recognisable visual elements.

@zya_sg

Zya Santuario

Côte d’Azur Umbrellas, by Zya Santuario

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