Gremi de Llibreters de Barcelona/Picasso. Spain.

This original poster is a resonant piece of Catalan cultural advocacy, designed as a defiant response to the political violence that shadowed Spain’s transition to democracy in the late 1970s. Commissioned by the Booksellers Guild of Barcelona (Gremi de Llibreters de Barcelona), the work was a public act of solidarity following a series of far-right terrorist attacks targeting bookstores and cultural centers that promoted democratic and Catalanist ideals.
The design is built on a series of layered metaphors that emphasize the power of the written word over destruction. At the bottom, a heavy stack of four books serves as a foundation, their red and yellow spines subtly forming the Senyera, the national flag of Catalonia. Emerging from these books is a funnel of chaotic, black-and-white letters that rise toward the top of the frame. This "explosion" of typography is not one of violence, but of ideas, suggesting that from the solid base of education and culture, intellectual freedom takes flight.
The focal point of the poster is the white dove at the top, which appears to be "birthing" or releasing these letters into the world. The design of this bird is a direct homage to the iconic peace doves created by Pablo Picasso. Specifically, its minimalist, fluid outline and upward-tilting wings mirror the style of Picasso's famous 1949 lithograph, La Colombe (The Dove). This association was deeply intentional; by using a visual shorthand synonymous with Picasso—a staunch advocate for peace who had a profound lifelong connection to Barcelona—the poster explicitly frames the defense of Catalan culture as a struggle for universal human rights and peaceful coexistence.
The accompanying text translates to:
"Culture is a right and the book its path. Let's defend them!"
The message is clear: while terrorists use bombs to silence dissent, the bookseller and the citizen use the "path of the book" to build a free society.
Artist: Josep Mandula
Style: figurative
Size: 59x32 cm
Language: Catalan
Printed in 1977
Publisher: Edinform S.A.
Made in Barcelona, Spain.
Condition: as seen on the pictures.
This is not a recent issue, replica or tourist souvenir.