1972 Olympic Posters Exhibition at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, Sussex from 19th June to 7th October 2012:
"Posters have long played a special role in announcing and celebrating the Olympic Games. Eye-catching and memorable, they offer a vital record of our world, revealing links between sport and art, place and politics. This exhibition features Olympic posters from the 1972 Munich Games, created by the great Pop Artists of the day such as David Hockney, Peter Phillips, RB Kitaj and others. Produced to 'represent the intertwining of sports and art worldwide', this series of classic artistic posters formed the basis of the Olympic advertising campaign."
Visit www.pallant.org.uk for more information.
Margaret Timmers, author of "A Century of Olympic Posters" will give a talk at this exhibition on 26th July. Formerly of the V&A, Margaret Timmers' book is also featured in the Spring/Summer 2012 edition of Midcentury Modern, "Posters on the Podium - Graphic Design and the Olympics", looking at the 1964 Tokyo (first in Asia), 1968 Mexico City (first in Latin America) and 1972 Munich Olympics (first conscious union between sport and art):
"Posters have been a prime means of communication for the modern Olympic Games, heralding the event, and shaping audience expectations... From the 1960s they became an important element in sophisticated identity programmes, and even in today's world of multi-media communication, they help to establich the look and feel - the 'brand' - of the Games. As periodic snapshots through time, they also provide a fascinating historic record - a visual document of sport and art, politics and place, commerce and culture. Eye-catching and memorable, many have become highly collectable works of art and design... Like the best sporting technique, the success of the poster comes from hitting an almost indefinable sweet spot. These examples all share a common trait: the ability of the artist to utilise the design aesthetic of the day in successfully capturing the Olympic spirit."
To read the full article, click here (pp18-21).
Featured Image: Munich Olympics Sailing, 1972
Link: http://www.antikbar.co.uk/product_detail/?pId=1322
