Policja (The Police). 1982.
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The Museum of Modern Art. 2009 United States
Mieczyslaw Górowski, born 1941. Poster for play by Slawomira Mrozka. Offset lithograph. 32 1/2 x 23 1/8" (82.5 x 58.7 cm). Gift of the artist.
Polish Posters
1945-89
The Museum of Modern Art - MoMA
Wednesday 06 May 2009 to Monday 30 November 2009
MoMA presents Polish Posters 1945–89, an installation drawn from the Museum’s collection of 24 posters from the Cold War era of the Polish Poster School, which attracted international attention and admiration.
Drawing on a rich Central European tradition in graphic arts, designers like Henryk Tomaszewski, Roman Cieslewicz, Jan Lenica, and Franciszek Starowieyski developed a sophisticated visual language characterized by surreal and expressionist tendencies, a bold use of color, and macabre, often satirical humor. Polish posters were generally created to promote cultural events—opera, theatre, films, and exhibitions.
These posters’ images frequently contained explicit evocations of violence and sexuality and appeared at a time when there was little or no advertising. The Communist state maintained a strict censorship policy and monopolized the commissioning and distribution of all printed media in that period, yet bureaucratic patrons colluded in turning a blind eye to the oblique but powerful critical commentaries contained in many of the posters.
On view May 6 through November 30, 2009, the exhibition is organized by Juliet Kinchin, Curator, and Aidan O’Connor, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art.
The Philip Johnson Architecture and Design Galleries, third floor
Location
The Museum of Modern Art - MoMA11 West 53 Street
Midtown Manhattan Precinct
New York
United States
