Polish School of Poster - Exhibition - "Plakat Wisi"

During the Communist times, the poster was supposed to be elevated to the rank of a work of art of the highest calibre. However, the real success of Polish posters began in 1948, when Henryk
Tomaszewski received as many as five awards for his designs at the International Film Poster Exhibition in Vienna. This event - we will soon celebrate its 75th anniversary - marks the beginning of artistic mobilization that brought Polish poster artists worldwide fame. Their achievements inspire artists to this day.
In socialist Poland, the propaganda poster was one of the most important tools for directing society along the lines created by the party. Through its universality and accessible form of graphic
communication, the poster was intended to reach a "new" recipient: the People's Nation. Despite changes in the political system – in Poland and around the world – the poster remains a propaganda
form of communication, with the potential to influence social behavior and way of thinking. It can be used as a weapon in political or ideological battles, but also in fights for wallets. We are
bombarded with drugstore, shoe and grocery posters. Although capitalism and consumerism are replacing artistry in advertising, the Polish poster - in a different form and with a smaller group of
authors - is doing great.
Why can the 75th anniversary of Tomaszewski's award in Vienna mean a lot today? Because the phenomenon that began in 1948 has found excellent successors and successors who are eager to add
further chapters to the history of the so-called Polish poster school. They draw on the technique, metaphor and impressions of their precursors, developing a fresh voice, adequate to contemporary
reality. You will see this for yourself by visiting level 0 in the Courtyard Gallery, where we present posters by thirty-five poster artists of the new generation. I encourage you to start viewing the
exhibition from this part - you will see how strong a step this discipline is taking into the future.
The contemporary works are accompanied by the most expensive Polish poster by Wojciech Fangor, which shows what the creators of PPS were striving for - the poster has the value of a (real)
work of art.
On the next floor of the Gallery, you will encounter the political face of a poster reflecting the history of post-war Poland. Then, at level 2, you will enter the world of Color, Circus, Theater, Russian Painting, Figurativeness, Film, Openness and Art to immerse yourself in the greatest names of the Polish poster school