Olympic Games
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1936
"Olympic Games" is a colour lithographic poster advertising the Olympic Games held in Berlin in August 1936. Designed by the artist Werner Würbel, the poster was printed in Germany using printing inks in 1936. It measures 1016 mm in height by 637 mm in width.
The artwork follows a classical realist design, depicting a monumental, heroic male head crowned with a laurel wreath positioned beneath the interlocking Olympic rings. In the foreground, silhouetted sculpture from Berlin's Brandenburg Gate is rendered atop an angled architectural element. The poster bears the artist's signature "Würbel" and is executed in tones of yellow, green, black, and grey, accompanied by printed lettering relating to the sporting event.
Published by the German Railways Head Office for Tourist Traffic alongside the Propaganda Committee for the Olympic Games, the print served as official promotional material for the games.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
German Chancellor Adolf Hitler viewed the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games as an opportunity to generate publicity for his Nazi regime and ideology, selecting classical realism as the preferred aesthetic and commissioning major posters from artists including Würbel and Ludwig Hohlwein. This object entered the museum collection through an exchange with the Library of Congress poster collection in Washington, D.C.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Colour lithograph
- Dimensions
- Height: 1016 mm; Width: 637 mm
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Würbel, Werner
- Place recorded
- Germany
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Olympic Games
- Museum object number
- E.2905-1980
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.