Lucien Boucher – Monumental Air France Planisphere, “The World’s Largest Network”, 1961 – Lithograph in 8 sheets mounted on 4 frames

An exceptional and spectacular large-format Air France planisphere, created by Lucien Boucher in 1961 to celebrate the worldwide expansion of the airline. Printed as a colour lithograph by Perceval, Paris, this monumental version in eight sheets, mounted here on four independent frames, is one of the most impressive advertising creations ever produced for Air France.

Documentary references identify this work under the title Air France, The World’s Largest Network, with the printing reference 21.433/P/3.61, published by Air France and printed by Perceval in Paris. The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection states that this eight-sheet map is the largest map created by Lucien Boucher for Air France.

Description

A true invitation to travel, this planisphere presents a poetic and abundant vision of the world at the beginning of the 1960s. The continents, rendered in a deep red tone, stand out against a blue-grey background animated with winds, air routes, aircraft, constellations and white lines linking the major destinations served by Air France.

Around the map, Lucien Boucher creates a remarkably rich decorative border: monuments, landscapes, figures, animals, architecture and exotic scenes evoke the five continents with the decorative imagination typical of the golden age of air travel. At the centre of the composition, the air routes cross like a vast luminous web, emphasizing Air France’s international ambition and its famous slogan: “The World’s Largest Network.”

In 1961, Air France did indeed claim a network of exceptional scale: a study published on Persée mentions 323,000 kilometres of network, 131 stopovers and 73 countries served. This work therefore belongs to a major historical moment: the age of jet aircraft, long-haul expansion and the globalization of air travel.

Poster Style

Pictorial advertising map / decorative illustration from the 1960s.

Lucien Boucher, nicknamed by Air France “Mr. Planisphere”, created a famous series of world maps for the airline between 1934 and 1962. His style combines cartography, surreal imagination, theatrical decoration, tourist imagery and the great tradition of French lithographic poster art.

Technical Details

Artist: Lucien Boucher, 1889–1971
Title: Air France – The World’s Largest Network
Date: 1961
Publisher: Air France
Printer: Perceval, Paris
Technique: Original colour lithograph
Composition: Eight printed sheets
Mounting: Four independent, perfectly aligned frames
Possible display: As a decorative screen or as a monumental wall installation
Documented reference: 21.433/P/3.61
Subject: Air France worldwide network, aviation, world map, international tourism

Condition

Very fine presentation condition for a work of this size and rarity. The four panels are lightweight, independent and precisely fitted, allowing for a spectacular installation either as a folding screen or as a wall-mounted decorative piece. The colours retain a strong decorative presence, with the deep red of the continents, the blue-grey background and the many illustrated scenes around the border.

Both a map, an advertising poster and a decorative work of art, this piece embodies the elegance of air travel in the 1960s, at a time when Air France was asserting its position among the great international airlines. The air routes, aircraft, monuments and exotic scenes compose a vision of the world that is both precise and dreamlike.

A rare, spectacular and highly decorative piece, sought after by collectors of vintage posters as well as by enthusiasts of aviation, graphic design and major 20th-century decorative works.

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