Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918), born Guglielmo de Kostrowitzsky, is considered one of the greatest French poets of the 20th century. He is famous for his calligrams and his acrostic poems. He is also the forefather of surrealism. He was admired during his lifetime by young poets who later formed the core of the surrealist group (André Breton, Louis Aragon, Philippe Soupault). 

The year 2018 marks the anniversary of Guillaume Apollinaire’s passing away. 

The obverse of the coin shows the calligram of Guillaume Apollinaire speaking about the Eiffel Tower. In the background, a landscape inspired by one of his famous poems, Pont Mirabeau, is represented.

The reverse highlights the portrait of the painter which is behind a background of firs as a reference to his poem named “Les Sapins”. The face value and the name of the artist are written.