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Gloria in Excelsis. Civic Forum!

Poster
1989 (designed and printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This poster produced soon after the collapse of communist government in Czechoslovakia is a jubilant celebration of the ‘velvet revolution’ and of the Civic Forum, one of the opposition organisations that led the Revolution. It employs the iconography of the comet as a symbol of hope and a harbinger of momentous events. This comet marks the propitious birth of a new Czechoslovakia with the ‘OF’ logo of Civic Forum (Obcanské Fórum) glowing at its heart. It is one of a number of ‘Christmas posters’ issued in December 1989 that incorporate religious imagery, signalling an end to the oppression of religion and linking the Civic Forum with moral values.


Designed, printed and published in former Czechoslovakia


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Gloria in Excelsis. Civic Forum! (generic title)
  • Pro-democracy Poster Collection (named collection)
Materials and techniques
Lithograph in black and tan printed on paper
Brief description
Poster 'Gloria in Excelsis Obcanske Forum!' (orange colourway) by Pavel Benes, Czechoslovakia, 1989. RF 90/173
Physical description
Poster
Dimensions
  • Height: 42.1cm
  • Width: 60.4cm
Credit line
Given by Christopher Wilk
Production
Designed, printed and published in former Czechoslovakia
Summary
This poster produced soon after the collapse of communist government in Czechoslovakia is a jubilant celebration of the ‘velvet revolution’ and of the Civic Forum, one of the opposition organisations that led the Revolution. It employs the iconography of the comet as a symbol of hope and a harbinger of momentous events. This comet marks the propitious birth of a new Czechoslovakia with the ‘OF’ logo of Civic Forum (Obcanské Fórum) glowing at its heart. It is one of a number of ‘Christmas posters’ issued in December 1989 that incorporate religious imagery, signalling an end to the oppression of religion and linking the Civic Forum with moral values.


Designed, printed and published in former Czechoslovakia
Collection
Accession number
E.268-1990

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Record createdFebruary 18, 2009
Record URL
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