Not on display

Clown with Derby and Bow Tie. Poster advertising Polish circus

Poster
ca.1977 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

During the 1960s the Polish State Entertainment Agency (ZPR) hit on the idea of promoting Polish circus (CYRK) by commissioning posters from a group of leading poster artists including the poster designer and book illustrator Waldemar Swierzy (1931-2013) was a graduate of the Cracow Academy of Fine Arts and head of the poster design studio at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts from 1995 to 2001. He won several medals for many of his superbly witty posters produced from the 1950s onwards.

Many of these Polish circus posters produced by the ZPR featured the word Cyrk in eye-catching graphics. They were not intended as advertisements for specific performances or companies but as works of poster art that conjure the spirit of Polish circus. Brilliantly designed, rich in fantasy and humour, these posters were soon appreciated within Poland and abroad as collectable items, and have since featured in many exhibitions of poster art throughout the world.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleClown with Derby and Bow Tie. Poster advertising Polish circus (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Printing ink on paper
Brief description
Poster advertising Polish circus, ca.1977. Colour lithograph by Waldemar Swierzy (1931-2013)
Physical description
Pictorial poster advertising Polish circus illustrated with an image of the head and shoulders of an auguste clown wearing a bowler hat and bow tie, his face spattered with perhaps a rotten tomato making his nose red. Printed in beige, blak, pink, red and black on white paper
Summary
During the 1960s the Polish State Entertainment Agency (ZPR) hit on the idea of promoting Polish circus (CYRK) by commissioning posters from a group of leading poster artists including the poster designer and book illustrator Waldemar Swierzy (1931-2013) was a graduate of the Cracow Academy of Fine Arts and head of the poster design studio at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts from 1995 to 2001. He won several medals for many of his superbly witty posters produced from the 1950s onwards.

Many of these Polish circus posters produced by the ZPR featured the word Cyrk in eye-catching graphics. They were not intended as advertisements for specific performances or companies but as works of poster art that conjure the spirit of Polish circus. Brilliantly designed, rich in fantasy and humour, these posters were soon appreciated within Poland and abroad as collectable items, and have since featured in many exhibitions of poster art throughout the world.


Collection
Accession number
S.3802-1995

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Record createdApril 18, 2021
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