JW Marriott and Christie’s Curate Vintage Travel Poster Exhibit in Cannes

Curving for a mile and a half along the Mediterranean Sea in Cannes, the Croisette Boulevard is one of the world’s most glamorous promenades, connecting a gauntlet of posh hotels with the historic hillside city.

Front and center, the JW Marriott Cannes is launching a collection of vintage travel posters in its lobby on May 14 in partnership with Christie’s Auction House.

“The Art of Travel” public exhibition depicts the halcyon days of the French Riviera stretching from Antibes in the west to Monte-Carlo just across the nearby border.

With the birth of railway tracks crossing the Cote d’Azur in the late 1800s, the speed and convenience of locomotive travel brought hordes of artists and aristocrats to sample the Riviera’s vaunted light and lifestyle. During the tail end of the Roaring ’20s, the railways and cruise lines began commissioning commercial artists to create these promotional posters in the fashionable Art Deco style of the times.

The collection heads to London for auction on June 18. Prices are expected to hit upwards of $50,000 for the SS L’Antique ocean liner poster.

“The Art of Travel” exhibit is a continuation of an ongoing JW Marriott & Christie’s Events partnership. The first collaboration took place in Cannes in 2012 with a series of paintings including Kandinsky’s Diagonale and Warhol’s Queen Elizabeth II.

Last week, Christie’s presented a three-day art collection at JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek, with a surprisingly comprehensive array of artwork by Picasso, Pissaro, Degas, Warhol, Braque, van Gogh, Rockwell, Hopper, and others.

The motivation behind this from Christie’s perspective is not just to build buzz for the art sales following the exhibitions. The auction house is also featuring collections of vintage watches and other accessories at these art gatherings to promote its live online auctions and sales promotions.

A sample of rotating items online range from a $10,000 Kelly handbag to a breathy collection of vintage black and white Paris photos, starting at $1,500.

Greg Oates covers hotel/tourism development and travel brand media. He has toured over 1,000 hotels in 50+ countries. email / twitter