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Maître Nicolas CONSTANTY

438 - Mark Podwal (1945-) - Let My People Go. Circa 1970. 114x76cm…
See original version (French)

Estimate €20 - €30
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Description
Mark Podwal (1945-) - Let My People Go. Circa 1970. 114x76cm. Original lithographed poster. Not backed. Condition A+, perfect state of conservation. Original poster produced in the 1970s to promote the "Let My People Go" campaign or event, aimed at raising public awareness of civil rights, historical memory and the freedom of oppressed peoples. The "Let My People Go" slogan is taken from the Bible, when a God calls Pharaoh to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 5:1). Since the XIXᵉ century, this phrase has become a universal symbol of freedom and the fight against oppression, taken up by various social justice movements, including civil rights campaigns in the United States and calls for the liberation of persecuted or marginalised peoples. In the context of Podwal's poster, this phrase is used as a call to historical memory and solidarity in the face of injustice, while also evoking the persecution of Jewish communities throughout history. Mark Podwal (born 1945 in New York) is an American artist, illustrator and painter renowned for his work exploring Jewish history, Holocaust remembrance and the visual culture of the Jewish diaspora. Trained at the Art Students League in New York, he developed a narrative and symbolic style, combining religious iconography, historical motifs and simplified figurative elements. Podwal works for books, exhibitions, cultural institutions and militant posters. His art often aims to tell the story and raise awareness of cultural or ethical issues. The Let My People Go poster typically depicts a central figure or evocative symbols: in several known versions, we often see stylised human silhouettes, representing oppressed communities or biblical characters, sometimes surrounded by iconographic elements such as broken chains, flames, or Jewish symbols such as the Star of David. The colour palette remains restrained but expressive, using strong contrasts to highlight the central message, while the typography of the slogan dominates the composition to immediately draw the viewer's attention. This poster illustrates Podwal's ability to fuse historical content with visual impact, transforming a universal message of freedom into an accessible and memorable graphic object. It also demonstrates the use of graphic art in the 1970s as a tool for social and cultural awareness-raising, showing how a biblical reference can be reinterpreted to engage a contemporary audience with issues of justice and memory.
See original version (French)
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About the sale Collection of an ink merchant, sale of posters n°17 and miscellaneous.
Auction location
Auction time 06/12/2026 at 1:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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