Poster — Mona Lisa Contortionist. Poster advertising Polish circus , Poland, Warsaw, 1972
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1972
Poster in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number S.3803-1995), made in Poland, Warsaw, dated 1972, attributed to Urbaniec, Maciej. The museum's brief description reads: Poster advertising Polish circus, 1972.
Colour lithograph by Maciej Urbaniec (1925-2004). Museum description: Pictorial poster advertising Polish circus illustrated with an image of a leotard-wearing female contortionist with the head of Mona Lisa, resting on her folded arms on a low tripod table. Printed in brown, red, green and pink on white paper The museum records it as Printing ink on paper, measuring Height 97.8 cm; Width 66 cm. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
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
During the 1960s the Polish State Entertainment Agency ZPR (Zjednoczone Przedsiębiorstwa Rozrywkowe) hit on the idea of promoting Polish circus (CYRK) by commissioning posters from a group of leading poster artists including the poster designer and commercial artist Maciej Urbaniec (1925-2004) who studied art in Wroclaw and at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, graduating in 1958. He went on to teach at the Adademy from 1975 until his death, where he had a significant impact on the artists of the third generation (1960s-1980s) of Polish School of Posters. Many of these Polish circus posters produced by the ZPR featured the word Cyrk in eye-catching graphics, such as here in centre of the curtain swag framing the top of the poster. The circus posters were not intended as advertisements for specific performances or companies but as works of poster art that conjured the spirit of Polish circus. Brilliantly designed, rich in fantasy and humour, these posters were soon appreciated within Poland and abroad as collectable items, and have since featured in many exhibitions of poster art throughout the world
Physical characteristics
- Material
- paper, printing ink
- Dimensions
- Height 97.8 cm; Width 66 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Printing ink on paper
- Maker recorded
- Urbaniec, Maciej
- Place recorded
- Poland, Warsaw
Identification
- Museum object name
- Poster
- Museum object number
- S.3803-1995
- Museum system number
- O1607485
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.