Polish Posters | Rigoletto by Verdi | Viktor Sadowski

Rigoletto is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The opera had a triumphant premiere in Venice in 1851. The work, Verdi’s sixteenth in the genre, is widely considered to be the first of the operatic masterpieces of Verdi’s middle-to-late career. Its tragic story revolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda. The opera’s original title, La Maledizione (The Curse), refers to a curse placed on both the Duke and Rigoletto by a courtier whose daughter the Duke has seduced with Rigoletto’s encouragement. The curse comes to fruition when Gilda falls in love with the Duke and sacrifices her life to save him from the assassin hired by her father. It initially had a run of 13 performances and was revived in Venice the following year, and again in 1854. The poster artist is Wiktor Sadowski, born in Poland in 1956, working in poster, illustration and painting. He graduated in 1981 from the Academy of Fine Arts after working in Henryk Tomaszewski´s studio. He has won several prestigious awards for his art, such as the Gold Medal, XI Biennale of Polish Posters, 1985. He is known for his brooding, surreal art. His list of clients expands far outside his native country to include both Europe and North America. He has created posters for theaters throughout the United States, including the New York City Opera, and illustrations for annual reports and publications such as Time, Glamour, the Washington Post and the New York Times.