Radical Posters from Bologna’s 1968 Movement

This collection presents a selection of 38 protest posters produced in Bologna in 1969, at the height of the student and workers’ movements in Italy.

These posters are considered a key visual testimony of the broader international wave of contestation that followed the events of May 1968 in France. The French May is widely regarded as one of the most emblematic outbreak of youth and labor unrest in post-war Europe, and its ideological, linguistic, and symbolic influence rapidly extended beyond France’s borders. In Italy, this influence found resonance in universities, factories, and working-class neighborhoods, particularly in cities like Bologna.

In 1969, Bologna became a focal point for a convergence between student and worker movements, unified in opposition to capitalism, academic authoritarianism, corporate hierarchies, and social inequality. 

This period saw a surge in collective action including strikes, occupations, marches, and public assemblies. Within this context, protest posters emerged as a crucial form of visual and political communication. The posters were not only used to announce demonstrations but also to convey direct and emotionally charged ideological messages.

The posters preserved in this archive were produced primarily through screen printing and display strong stylistic links to the Atelier Populaire of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The graphics are composed of stylized, simplified imagery with minimal line work and no decorative elements, paired with short, impactful slogans. Designed for maximum legibility and emotional impact, the posters adopted the visual logic of advertising while rejecting its commercial function. Their aim was to provoke, mobilize, and create symbolic conflict.  French poster designs likely arrived in Italy through various channels, including militant journals such as La Sinistra and Potere Operaio, participants in the Paris uprisings, and published volumes such as Mai 68. Affiches (Tchou éditeur, 1968) and its Italian edition Manifesti della rivolta di maggio (Editori Riuniti, 1968)

While Nerio Tatini, known as “Tati,” and Franco Gelati emerged as key figures the former responsible for graphic design and the latter for technical production, the creation of these posters remained fundamentally a collective endeavor. Tatini, an employee of the SIP (Italian State Telephone Company) and active in the student movement, led the design work, while Gelati, a printing technician, archivist, and member of Potere Operaio, managed the printing process.

The posters were produced in improvised spaces, especially in the Pratello district of Bologna, with the primary site located in Via Pietralata. Print runs typically ranged from 300 to 400 copies per design, which were then distributed in strategic urban locations including universities, factories, markets, and occupied buildings.

The spread of these posters was supported by a broader militant network. Some works bear the name of the Movement headquarters, while others include the label "Graphic Centro – Via del Cane, 7," indicating the presence of informal and collaborative production networks.

Although produced in Bologna, the posters quickly spread to other Italian cities, carried by the enthusiasm of the activist movement and its dense networks of communication and solidarity. Far from being mere historical artifacts, the Bologna posters of 1969 are true instruments of ideological struggle, shaped by a militant aesthetic that seamlessly blends technique and message, art and politics. They continue to stand as powerful examples of how graphic design can serve as an active agent of social transformation.

Bibliography:
Mai 68 affiches, Numero Zero,Tchou éditeur, Paris 1968.

Manifesti della rivolta di maggio. L’espressione grafica del moto studentesco e operaio francese del maggio 1968 nei suoi documenti più significativi e appassionati, Editori Riuniti, 1968, Roma.

Immaginazione senza potere. Il lungo viaggio del maggio francese in Italia, edizioni Punto Rosso, Archiviostorico “Marco Pezzi”, Milano-Bologna,2011

Interviews:
16/04/2025 Fabrizio Billi – researcher at the Parri Institute of Bologna
 26/05/2025 Valerio Monteventi – longtime scholar of movement history, member of the Francesco Lorusso - Carlo Giuliani Documentation Center at Vag 61 in Bologna