Poster — Spy Clown with Newspaper. Poster advertising Polish circus , Poland, Warsaw, 1975
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1975
Poster in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number S.3805-1995), made in Poland, Warsaw, dated 1975, attributed to Swierzy, Waldemar. The museum's brief description reads: Poster advertising Polish circus, 1975.
Colour lithograph by Waldemar Swierzy (1931-2013). Museum description: Pictorial poster advertising Polish circus illustrated with an image of a bowler-hatted clown wearing steel-rimmed glasses and a black coat with a turned-up collar, with a newspaper with the headline Cyrk poking from his coat. Printed in black, purple, yellow and red on white paper The museum records it as Printing ink on paper, measuring Height 97.6 cm; Width 66.5 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) hit on the idea of promoting Polish circus (CYRK) by commissioning posters from a group of leading poster artists including the poster designer and book illustrator Waldemar Swierzy (1931-2013) was a graduate of the Cracow Academy of Fine Arts and head of the poster design studio at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts from 1995 to 2001. He won several medals for many of his superbly witty posters produced from the 1950s onwards. Many of these Polish circus posters produced by the ZPR featured the word Cyrk in eye-catching graphics. They were not intended as advertisements for specific performances or companies but as works of poster art that conjure 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 97.6 cm; Width 66.5 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Printing ink on paper
- Maker recorded
- Swierzy, Waldemar
- Place recorded
- Poland, Warsaw
Identification
- Museum object name
- Poster
- Museum object number
- S.3805-1995
- Museum system number
- O1607483
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.