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Beautiful vintage circus posters from Poland


These vibrant and surreal posters for the Polish circus were created during the communist-era (1950s - 1970s). I'm not really a circus fan, but I think these vintage illustrations are truly beautiful works of art.

From Circopedia:

"The end of World War II marked the dawn of a new period in the development of Polish poster art, which became known as the Polish School of Posters. The recently installed Communist regime began commissioning artists to design posters not only with social and political messages, but also and more prominently to promote the many aspects of the government-run cultural media: concerts, exhibitions, film, jazz, opera, theater, etc. and the circus (cyrk in Polish).

Building sites throughout Poland were enclosed with wooden fences, which were quickly covered with posters. These fences served as billboards and events' notices as well as support for the art of the street. Circus became both the most internationally recognized and acclaimed subject depicted by the Polish School of Posters." 




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