Blue Velvet Poster (Polish B1)

Blue Velvet Polish poster designed by  Jan Mlodozeniec.

This is an official limited edition authorised reprint from Poland of the super popular and very collectible 1987 Polish poster ‘Blue Velvet’ by Jan Mlodozeniec.

Jan Mlodozeniec was born in Warsaw on November 8th 1929 to a well-to-do peasant family. They were all creative; his dad Stanislaw was a poet and founder of Polish futurism, his mum Wanda was an artist and his own son Piotr is now an accomplished graphic artist. Jan Mlodozeniec decided to apply to art school on a bit of a whim after serving in the army during the war. He studied under the great master Prof. Henryk Tomaszewski and became one of the most prominent members of the Polish School of Posters. 

Mlodozeniec’s painterly style is very distinct; characterised by naive childlike forms, bold lines, strong colour and a sense of humour. He said “I like colour in itself. I see its meaning in the colourful existence against the backdrop of a grey street. I never think twice about using six colours, something that from the point of view of poster canons (sparing means of expression) lowers its value in the eyes of experts”. Mlodozeniec won many awards for his posters which were exhibited in over 40 solo shows around the world. Jan Mlodozeniec posters are now held in private collections and iconic museums including The Stedeliijk in Amsterdam, Kunstblibliothek in Berlin and the Museum of Modern Art in Toyama.

Note from the printing house in Poland: “Our offset prints are made on matte paper similar to the original. We keep the poster formats from the period, we try to faithfully reproduce the colours of old prints. Small editions, limited to 500 copies, respect all copyrights belonging to the graphic artists or their heirs.”

This poster is from Projekt 26, a South London based leading dealer of vintage Polish posters from the Soviet era. They source and sell original mid-century posters and magazines from suppliers in Poland and all over the world. They partner with artists and their families to reproduce much-loved works, using printing methods and paper that are true to the original editions.