Following Poland’s provision of cheap and practical “space for rent” for much of the action of World War II, Poland became a Communist satellite state of the Soviet Union. The new ruling government needed a quick and easy means to “re-educate” the public and to reach the masses with messages such as “Poland needs you to plow the fields” and “Happy Workers Day”. As Facebook just wasn’t quite available at the time, the medium of the poster quickly became a solution to spread important political messages to the population en masse, and soon they moved beyond the strictly political into film, culture & other spheres. 

 

From the 1950s onward, Poland developed what can only be described as an explosion of artistic talent - and appreciation for the form of the poster - encouraged and developed by the various art schools around the country. Much effort was dedicated to cultivating talented graphic design artists who began “double dipping” by producing hard-core propaganda posters for the State by day, and brilliantly eclectic posters by night. Today, poster design and collection in Poland enjoys attention rivalling that of the Art Nouveau posters of France. Not only are exceptional posters still being produced in Poland today but there continues to be wide-spread collection and exhibition of some of the finer examples from the past. 

 

 

We constantly scour Poland to bring you a curated selection of some of the more significant (and great looking!) posters from the 1950s-1970s so you too can appreciate this amazing art genre and start collecting... just like us!