From Tinguely to Haring: How Montreux Jazz Festival Built a Unique Art Legacy Through Its Posters

The Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) has established a distinctive artistic legacy, largely defined by its iconic posters that have featured works from a prestigious roster of artists. This tradition has transformed the festival's promotional material into valuable art pieces, attracting global attention and influencing cultural appreciation.

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I was born in Switzerland into a family with no connection to the art world, and it was through unusual mediums like Keith Haring's posters for the Montreux Jazz Festival [MJF] that I discovered art.

Mathieu Jaton, the current director of the MJF, explained that the festival's artistic direction shifted significantly in 1982 with the arrival of Pierre Keller. Keller, then a teacher and later director of ECAL (University of Art and Design Lausanne), instituted a policy that each festival poster must be considered a work of art rather than mere marketing. This radical approach meant posters would no longer display musician names or sponsor logos, and would be consistently printed in serigraphy in a standard 70x100 cm format.

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Even though remarkable productions already existed through the Montreux graphic designer Roger Bornand or the American Milton Glaser, the arrival of Pierre Keller... changed everything. He instituted the fact that the poster for each edition should no longer be a simple marketing product, but above all a work of art.

Keller leveraged his extensive network to invite prominent artists to design the posters. He recalled asking Jean Tinguely in 1982 to "draw me a festival," resulting in a firework-themed design that was a resounding success. However, Jaton considers Keith Haring's 1983 triptych as the "great turning point," propelling the posters into a new artistic dimension. These Haring posters remain the festival's best-selling to this day.

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In 1982, I asked my friend Jean Tinguely: 'Draw me a festival.' The Fribourg artist sketched a firework. It was a resounding success.

Despite initial collaborations with graphic designers like Roger Bornand and Milton Glaser, Keller's vision truly took hold with the involvement of major artists. For over a decade, Keller maintained control over the artistic direction, often clashing with Claude Nobs, the festival's founder. Nobs, however, later reasserted his influence, leading to posters featuring musicians like David Bowie in 1995 and Phil Collins in 1998. Keller reportedly regretted this departure from the established artistic focus.

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the great turning point” occurred the following year, thanks to the triptych by New York graffiti artist Keith Haring, which “propelled the posters into another dimension.