– Poster design was considered a driving force of artistic progress as it brought together architecture, painting and sculpture with artistic design. The use of traditional elements in early posters made them more like pictures or illustrations rather than conventional graphic compositions – Mariusz Knorowski, Chief Curator, Poster Museum at Wilanów
37 posters selected from the Poster Museum’s permanent collection can be viewed at this exhibition at the IIC. The show continues till 29 June at the Exhibition Art Gallery, Kamaladevi Complex (11.00 to 19.00)
This June, saw the Polish Institute in New Delhi collaborating with the India International Centre (IIC) for a second showing in India of the exhibition -Between Art Deco and Modernism: Polish Posters from 1918 to 1939 from the collection of the Poster Museum at Wilanów. The opening was well attended by an eclectic mix of audience drawn from a wide range of stakeholders such as art enthusiasts, students, artists and representatives of other cultural and diplomatic organisations in Delhi. After the traditional lighting of the lamp with officials and committee members of the IIC, to mark the opening of the show, Acting Director Ms. Malgorzata Tanska took audiences around the gallery and elaborated on many of the posters – their messages and the context in which they were designed. This enabled a more in depth understanding and appreciation of the posters displayed and the times as they were in Poland which influenced this genre of art making.
Bringing art together for an exhibition enables all of us to experience the works together in communities, to respond, talk about, enjoy or dislike, and connect. That is important and reason enough for cultural organisations to collaborate and support such initiatives, often leading its audiences to know more about popular culture of another place and highlight ideas and inspirations for creative work.
Poster designs that emerged out of Poland pioneered a new approach towards art, one in which the artist could innovate and be original, a thought that impacted graphic design across the world. It was believed by many that the Polish language, its cultural identity and imagination had impacted their contemporary graphic language and design. These posters while colourful, witty and smart often disguised an uncertain period in Polish history.
The Poster Museum at Wilanów opened in 1968 and its collection includes over 50,000 items, including a collection of the Polish Poster School, collections of Polish, American and European posters from the late nineteenth century to the present.
