Perico Pastor and La Mercè: 40 Years of a Poster and a Retrospective Exhibition

We are getting ready for la Festa de la Mercè and all its activities with an exhibition that commemorates one of Barcelona’s most representative graphic traditions: its Festa Major posters.

The exhibition Moltes Mercès. The Posters of Barcelona’s Festa Major brings together 48 works created by some of the leading illustrators, artists and designers who, from 1979 to the present day, with the 2026 proposal signed by Cinta Vidal, have contributed to shaping the visual identity of this celebration.

Among the works on display is the poster that Perico Pastor created for the 1986 festivities, marking its 40th anniversary this year. A resident of Poblenou and one of the figures who helped define the image of avant-garde Barcelona, Pastor moved to New York in 1978, where he maintained his studio for several years before returning to Barcelona. Since then, his international career has developed across illustration and painting, with collaborations for publications such as The New York Times and Vogue, as well as exhibitions in cities including Tokyo, Paris, Miami and Hong Kong.

With a highly personal artistic identity, Perico Pastor has developed a distinctive fusion of drawing and painting. He habitually works on fine papers, whose textural qualities and luminosity enhance the graphic qualities of Chinese ink and watercolour, two fundamental techniques in his work.

Over the years, La Mercè posters have accompanied and reflected Barcelona’s cultural, social and artistic transformations, becoming one of the most significant examples of the city’s contemporary graphic heritage. Alongside Perico Pastor’s 1986 work, the exhibition also features proposals by Antoni Tàpies, Javier Mariscal, Jaume Plensa, Joan Fontcuberta, Malika Favre, Peret, América Sánchez and, of course, Cinta Vidal, among others.

The exhibition is complemented by a publication that documents and accompanies the project, Moltes Mercès, a journey through the graphic history of the posters of Barcelona’s Festa Major. The exhibition can be visited until 2 October in the courtyard of the Museu Frederic Marès.