Wish We Weren't Here!
Poster
2003 (made)
2003 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This poster by Martin Rowson is one of a set of eight, commissioned by the Stop the War Coalition in 2003, in protest against Britain's involvement in the US-led war against Iraq, 2003. Seven of Britain's leading artists were commissioned to produce posters. The posters were signed and published in a limited edition of 100.
This poster by Martin Rowson is a sinisterly humorous take on holiday postcard imagery. It shows a cartoonish beach scene with a muscle-bound George W. Bush cavorting with a puny Tony Blair and a chubby Saddam Hussein, accompanied by Death in the foreground. Death is shown squeezing oil from a tube labelled 'Ambre Despaire', a pun on the brand name (Ambre Solaire) of a well-known suntan lotion. The image communicates its message with humour and relies on recognisable images such as the skeletal figure of Death; it takes on world leaders with the unassailable weapon of humour and ridicule.
This poster by Martin Rowson is a sinisterly humorous take on holiday postcard imagery. It shows a cartoonish beach scene with a muscle-bound George W. Bush cavorting with a puny Tony Blair and a chubby Saddam Hussein, accompanied by Death in the foreground. Death is shown squeezing oil from a tube labelled 'Ambre Despaire', a pun on the brand name (Ambre Solaire) of a well-known suntan lotion. The image communicates its message with humour and relies on recognisable images such as the skeletal figure of Death; it takes on world leaders with the unassailable weapon of humour and ridicule.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Wish We Weren't Here! (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Colour lithograph |
| Brief description | A poster in the style of a holiday postcard, Martin Rowson, in the Stop the War Coalition set of eight posters, 2003 |
| Physical description | A poster showing a caricature scene from a beach in the style of a holiday postcard. 'Death' is holding a bottle of suntan lotion, with George W. Bush, Tony Blair and Saddam Hussein in the background. Signed and numbered by the artist. |
| Dimensions |
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| Copy number | 41/100 |
| Marks and inscriptions | "Stop the War Coalition www.stopwar.org.uk Poster number 2 by Martin Rowson 2003 Wish We Weren't Here!" |
| Credit line | Purchased through the Julie and Robert Breckman Print Fund |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This poster by Martin Rowson is one of a set of eight, commissioned by the Stop the War Coalition in 2003, in protest against Britain's involvement in the US-led war against Iraq, 2003. Seven of Britain's leading artists were commissioned to produce posters. The posters were signed and published in a limited edition of 100. This poster by Martin Rowson is a sinisterly humorous take on holiday postcard imagery. It shows a cartoonish beach scene with a muscle-bound George W. Bush cavorting with a puny Tony Blair and a chubby Saddam Hussein, accompanied by Death in the foreground. Death is shown squeezing oil from a tube labelled 'Ambre Despaire', a pun on the brand name (Ambre Solaire) of a well-known suntan lotion. The image communicates its message with humour and relies on recognisable images such as the skeletal figure of Death; it takes on world leaders with the unassailable weapon of humour and ridicule. |
| Associated objects |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1046-2003 |
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| Record created | February 19, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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