Polish Posters 1945-1988 Hommage a Henryk Tomaszewski

This mint-condition 1989 original Polish poster by Waldemar Swierzy honors another Polish poster artist, Henryk Tomaszewski. Rare, and in mint condition.

The artist Waldemar Swierzy was born in Poland in 1931. He graduated from the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts in 1952. Subsequently he was Professor at the University of Fine Arts in Poznan from 1965 and Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw from 1994. In 1992 the government of Poland issued a postage stamp to honor one of his Cyrk (Circus) posters, ‘Clown with Derby’. Swierzy is one of the Polish School of Posters’ most prolific artists, having created over 2500 posters. He employed unusual concepts with a variety of techniques, frequently mirroring Polish social history from 1950s through 1980s, with a myriad of styles: folk art from the 50s, pop art from the 60s, portraits from the 70s, and TV images from the 80s. In addition, his Jazz Greats series of famous American jazz personalities became so well known that he reissued them in his later years as signed lithographs. The series includes Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles and Charlie Parker, among others. He passed away in 2013.

Henryk Tomaszewski (1914–2005) was a pioneering Polish graphic artist and one of the founding figures of the Polish School of Posters. Known for his minimalist style, wit, and bold use of color and form, he transformed poster design into a respected art form. As a longtime professor at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, he influenced generations of designers and helped shape postwar visual culture in Poland and beyond.