Created in 1960 by the French artist and illustrator François Lesourt, this pictorial world map was commissioned by the airline TAI (Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux) and stands as one of the most refined examples of postwar travel and promotional graphic art.
The map presents the globe in a richly decorative composition: the continents, rendered in a bright ochre yellow, emerge from turquoise oceans crossed by red air routes radiating from Europe toward Africa, Asia, and Oceania — the main operational zones of the airline.
Lesourt’s map merges cartographic precision with painterly imagination, transforming geography into a vibrant tableau of global life. Each region is enlivened by miniature scenes and figures that evoke the customs and symbols of different cultures.
In Africa, elephants, lions, and desert caravans appear; Asia features temples, pagodas, and figures in traditional attire; the Americas are animated with cowboys, indigenous peoples, and tropical landscapes. Across the Pacific, swimmers, dancers, and sea creatures evoke the allure of distant islands. The oceans are dotted with sailing ships and mythical beasts — a conscious homage to early Renaissance maps.
The map is framed by a rich ornamental border divided into four quadrants, each celebrating the artistic motifs of a different world region:
Upper left: African and pre-Columbian masks and patterns;
Upper right: Islamic domes and Asian pagodas;
Lower right: Oceanic and Asian symbols, animals, and flora;
Lower left: Tropical fauna and Amerindian-inspired decorations.
At the bottom center appears the TAI emblem, dominated by a winged griffin holding the globe — a symbol of flight’s reach and the global ambition of French aviation.
The Airline: Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux (TAI)
Founded in 1946, TAI quickly became one of France’s leading intercontinental airlines, operating routes across Africa, the Far East, and the Pacific. Created to reestablish France’s global air network after World War II, TAI combined modern aeronautical ambition with a refined visual identity rooted in the aesthetics of discovery and elegance. In 1963, it merged with UAT (Union Aéromaritime de Transport) to form UTA (Union de Transports Aériens), which in turn was integrated into Air France in 1992.
