Malika Favre

Malika Favre Poster 2017 Montreux Jazz Festival
Malika Favre © Tom Robinson

2017

Malika Favre’s poster is in line with the optical illusion of shape and counter-shape. Black silhouettes of women float and dance freely in the Matisse style. In the white negative spaces hide a series of instruments, including a double bass in the centre, but also a guitar, played by one of the dancers, and well-concealed saxophones. The feminine hegemony of this poster contrasts with past works, where jazz was often symbolised by a male musician. The French illustrator is very successful on the international scene. It was her design of a cover for The New Yorker when Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature that convinced Mathieu Jaton to give her carte blanche for this 2017 edition.