Les Ruines D’Angkor Indochine – Art Prints | A1

Poster “Les Ruines d’Angkor” description:

This poster, Les Ruines d’Angkor by George Groslier (1911), is exceptional.

George Groslier (1887-1945), the artist of this important poster, was born in Imperial Cambodia (French Indochina) to French parents. Raised and educated in France, Groslier always recalled his birthplace fondly. In 1910, at the age of 23, he was commissioned to travel back to his homeland to study Cambodian architecture and anthropology on behalf of the French government.
Through his work as a painter, writer, historian, archaeologist, ethnologist, architect, photographer and curator, Groslier sought to preserve the arts, culture, and history of the Khmer Empire. It is during this early period that Groslier created the Les Ruines d’Angkor poster to promote French travel to his beloved Cambodia.
Pictured at the entrance to the temples are traditionally appointed dancers and worshippers, greeting the sun as it illuminates this sacred site. What could easily be a voyeuristic view of an “exotic” locale has been respectfully, accurately, and lovingly depicted by Groslier. A firm believer in preserving the indigenous culture of Cambodia, George Groslier would go on to found the National Museum of Cambodia, as well as the School of Cambodian Arts.
Groslier fought under France in WWI, but returned to Cambodia to raise his family. He dedicated the rest of his life to the study and preservation of Cambodian traditions. Groslier was interned in a concentration camp during WWII, following the liberation of Cambodia from France by Japan, and passed away as a prisoner of war.
George Groslier’s life was filled with sharing the beauty of Cambodia with the Western world, and this dedication can be clearly seen in Les Ruines d’Angkor. It is a joy to have this poster in the Gallery.