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Polish poster art in post-war Germany

Jan Lenica, Wozzeck, 1964

Mediathek Sorted

Media library
  • ill. 1: Wojciech Fangor, Czarna Carmen (Carmen Jones), 1959  - One of the approximately 180 posters that could be seen in Munich in 1962: Wojciech Fangor, Czarna Carmen (Carmen Jones), 1959
  • ill. 2: Józef Mroszczak, Student żebrak(The begging student), 1961  - Also present at the Munich exhibition: Józef Mroszczak, Student żebrak (The begging student), 1961
  • ill. 3: Henryk Tomaszewski, Henry Moore, 1959  - A poster was also shown in Munich in 1962, which became one of the most famous examples of Polish poster art: Henryk Tomaszewski, Henry Moore, 1959
  • ill. 4: Cultural posters in Poland - Cultural posters were ubiquitous in Poland - at least this is how a Western audience was often suggested by two photographs from Józef Mroszczak, Polish poster art, Vienna and Düsseldorf 1962, without a poster.
  • ill. 5: Exhibitions of Polish poster art in the FRG 1964-1966, overview - Exhibitions of Polish poster art in the FRG 1964-1966, overview
  • ill. 6: View of the exhibition "Masterpieces of Polish Poster Art" - View of the exhibition "Masterpieces of Polish Poster Art". Exhibition "Masterpieces of Polish Poster Art", Darmstadt,  Henschel & Ropertz department store, October 1964
  • ill. 7: View of the exhibition "Masterpieces of Polish Poster Art" - Exhibition "Masterpieces of Polish Poster Art", Darmstadt, department store Henschel&Ropertz, October 1964
  • ill. 8: Henryk Tomaszewski, 22 Lipca (22. July), 1960  - Henryk Tomaszewski, 22 Lipca (22. July), 1960
  • ill. 9: Photo. V. Zamecznik, Józef Mroszczak - Photograph. V. Zamecznik, Józef Mroszczak, 1962
  • ill. 10: Józef Mroszczak, Don Carlos, 1963  - Józef Mroszczak, Don Carlos, 1963
  • ill. 11: Photo. W. Zamecznik, Roman Cieślewicz, 1962  - Photograph. W. Zamecznik, Roman Cieślewicz, 1962
  • ill. 12: Roman Cieślewicz, Zawrót głowy (Vertigo), 1963  - Roman Cieślewicz, Zawrót głowy (Vertigo), 1963
  • ill. 13: Jan Lenica, 1962 - Jan Lenica, 1962
  • ill. 14: Jan Lenica, Wozzeck, 1964  - Jan Lenica, Wozzeck, 1964 

  • ill. 15: Jan Lenica, Faust, 1964  - Jan Lenica, Faust, 1964
  • ill. 16: Jan Lenica, Othello, 1968  - Jan Lenica, Othello, 1968
  • ill. 17: Jan Lenica, Olympic Games Munich 1972  - Jan Lenica, Olympic Games Munich 1972
  • ill. 18: Monthly Bulletin Poland, edition FRG, 1961, no. 12 - Monthly Bulletin Poland, edition FRG, 1961, no. 12
  • ill. 19: Franciszek Starowieyski, Gombrowicz: Operetka, 1977  - Franciszek Starowieyski, Gombrowicz: Operetka, 1977
  • ill. 20: Franciszek Starowieyski, Samuel Zborowskii, J. Słowacki, 1980 - Franciszek Starowieyski, Samuel Zborowskii, J. Słowacki, 1980
  • ill. 21: A postage stamp for the United Nations International Year of Peace 1986  - Deutsche Bundespost, a postage stamp for the United Nations International Year of Peace 1986, design Jan Lenica
  • ill. 22: Tomasz Sarnecki, Solidarność - Tomasz Sarnecki, Solidarność. W samo poludnie (Solidarność. Twelve o' clock noon), 1989
  • ill. 23: Magazine "Jenseits der Oder" ("Beyond the Oder")  - The magazine "Jenseits der Oder" was published by the German Society for Cultural and Eco-nomic Exchange with Poland. Given the background of the Bonn border reservation, the maga-zine's title was a political provocation.
  • ill. 24: Jan Lenica, Wizyta starszej pani (The Visit), 1958  - Jan Lenica, Wizyta starszej pani (The Visit), 1958
  • ill. 25: Leszek Hołdanowicz, Pasażerka, 1963 - Leszek Hołdanowicz, Pasażerka, 1963
  • ill. 26: Leszek Hołdanowicz, Bariera, 1966 - Leszek Hołdanowicz, Bariera, 1966
  • ill. 27: First International Poster Biennale Warsaw, 1966  - First International Poster Biennale Warsaw, 1966
Jan Lenica, Wozzeck, 1964
Jan Lenica, Wozzeck, 1964

As can also be seen from the list, exhibitions in West Germany were held wherever possible: in galleries, museums and art halls as well as in hotel and theatre foyers, city libraries and department stores.[10] The spectrum of organizers and organisers, which included not only cultural institutions but also student initiatives and private collectors, like two examples from Darmstadt, was correspondingly heterogeneous:

In June 1964, the local student body in Darmstadt organized an exhibition at the Technical College, which was reviewed not only by the Darmstadt-based student newspaper, but also by the local press and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.[11] The introductory lecture was given by the renowned and energetic Warsaw academy professor and poster artist Józef Mroszczak (1910-1975), who was a guest professor at the Folkwang School of Design in Essen (I shall return to this later) and in Darmstadt. The audience was very taken by "his chivalrous appearance and [the] elegance of his lecture".[12]

A few months later, in October 1964, the Darmstadt department store Henschel & Ropertz joined the market (now the Henschel fashion house) and enhanced its sales of ready-made goods with "masterpieces of Polish poster art": in this case, with posters from the private collection of the journalist, Hans-Joachim Orth.[13] (Fig. 6-7)

What kind of posters did the West German public see at the exhibitions? Posters for cultural events, i. e. plays, films, exhibitions, concerts, opera and circus posters made up the majority of the total, thereby turning Polish cultural posters into the epitome of Polish poster art. Political posters, on the other hand, were, unsurprisingly, the exception rather than the rule in the exhibitions and were usually limited to rather discreet and uncompromising designs for First of May or for the Polish national holiday on 22nd July (fig. 8). Tourist posters, which existed in Poland in large numbers (e. g. the well-known posters of the airline LOT), and occupational safety posters, which were widespread in Poland, only played a marginal role at the West German exhibitions.

Alongside from the old masters Henryk Tomaszewski (1914-2005) and Józef Mroszczak, Roman Cieślewicz (1930-1996) and Jan Lenica (1928-2001) were among the most popular and most exhibited Polish poster artists in West Germany in the 1960s. Lenica's poster for Alban Berg's opera "Wozzeck" became an icon of Polish poster art and is still included in every anthology. (Fig. 9-14)

Jan Lenica is also perhaps the Polish poster artist who has most left his mark on the collective German memory, if not by name, then by his unmistakable, concise formal language. As early as the early 1960s, he developed his psychedelic and art nouveau Pop Art look from interlocking forms, and this became his trademark. (Fig. 15-17)

 

[10] However this was not specific to Polish poster exhibitions. Presentations of art actions and exhibitions in non-museum locations were in general very popular.

[11] Darmstädter Studentenzeitung No. 71, July 1964, p. 18; Darmstädter Tageblatt, 12.6.1964, p. 12; Darmstädter Echo, 12.6.1964, p. 14; FAZ, 17.6.1964, p. 28. A digital version of the Darmstädter Studentenzeitung has been put online by the ASTA archive at the TU Darmstadt: http://astarchiv.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/405/ (consulted on 29.03.2017).

[12] Darmstädter Echo, 12.6.1964, p. 14

[13] It was closely linked with the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Kultur- und Wirtschaftsaustausch mit Polen (cf. no. 5), which will be referred to later.