Presented at the Departmental Museum of Saint-Riquier Abbey, this retrospective exhibition explored the creative process behind the work of Michel Bouvet, one of France’s leading graphic designers. Through a rich selection of posters created for theatre, opera, music, exhibitions, and festivals in France and abroad, visitors were invited to discover the successive stages of conception, development, and production.
Sketches, Polaroids, photographic prints, and original drawings revealed the evolution of each project, highlighting the journey from the emergence of an idea to its visual realization. The exhibition foregrounded the creative process itself as its central narrative thread, offering insight into the methods and thinking that underpin the artist’s work.
The exhibition design was conceived as a tool for interpretation and understanding, structuring the visitor’s gaze while clarifying the different stages of creation. Particular attention was given to visual legibility and to the presentation of the conceptual and formal logic that informs Michel Bouvet’s graphic language.
Set within the remarkable architectural context of Saint-Riquier Abbey, the project sought to establish a dialogue between contemporary creation and historic heritage. This approach reinforced the exhibition’s educational dimension while deepening the understanding of the artist’s practice, respecting the identity of the site and asserting a measured yet distinctly contemporary design language.