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Object Timeline

1977

  • Work on this object began.

2009

  • We acquired this object.

2012

2015

2025

  • You found it!

Poster, CRASH

This is a Poster. It is dated 1977 and we acquired it in 2009. Its medium is photo-offset lithograph on paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

Seeking creative ways of expression despite a regime that censored creative output, many Polish artists and illustrators pushed these constraints to develop an innovative approach to poster design. Jan Sawka’s imaginative use of hand-drawn type in a bright colored pattern contrasts with the more subdued illustration of a figure’s head in this poster dated 1977. Surrealist imagery and Pop Art graphics combine in a fragmentary appearance. Sawka’s political leanings prompted his departure from Poland; he eventually settled in the United States.

This object was donated by Marc Benda. It is credited Gift of Sara and Marc Benda.

Its dimensions are

96 x 66.1 cm (37 13/16 x 26 in.)

Cite this object as

Poster, CRASH; photo-offset lithograph on paper; 96 x 66.1 cm (37 13/16 x 26 in.); Gift of Sara and Marc Benda; 2009-20-25

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18731813/ |title=Poster, CRASH |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=12 March 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>