The Poster Museum at Wilanów

On 4th June 1968 the Poster Museum at Wilanów was opened as the world’s first poster museum, a branch of the National Museum in Warasaw. This undertaking started under the auspices of Prof. Stansilav Lorentz, the then Director of the National Museum in Warsaw, who granted several thousands of posters from the museum as a nucleus of the collection. As the location for the Museum the old manege area was selected, which was a part of the Wilanów Palace complex. Behind the stylish façade a building compound was erected, which was to house studies, restoration workships, archives and exposition rooms.

Presently the Museum boasts one of the largest collections of art posters in the world, consisting of over 55,000 items. The collection of Polish posters of 1892-2002 contains about 30,000 items and is the most complete set of works in the world considered to be a canon in this area of artistic activity. The collection of foreign posters, which has emerged mostly due to grants from the Warsaw Biennale and gifts from artists from world over, is also considered as the one of the finest collections of world art posters. In putting the collections together top priority is given to the artistic, rather than documentary aspects although the latter are also given due consideration in the development of sub-collections illustrating major historical periods. Similarly to other museum-type institutions, the Poster Museum collects, describes and preserves works of art. Those are frequently awarded prizes and distinctions at competitions and reviews of editorial activities of museums.

In 1983 the Museum was awarded the “Ernst Litfass 1816-1874” Honorary Medal (prize of the designer of the traditional advertising pillar) for the promotion of art posters. The Medal was awarded by Fachverband Aussenwerbung in Dusseldorf. In 1994 the major Polish and world’s first poster-art competition and who – the International Poster Biennale – was moved to the Museum. Every second year over 2,000 works pour in to the Museum, out of which the International Jury select winners in three subject categories.

The Poster Museum at Wilanów realizes the main series of exhibitions:
- The Salon of the Polish Poster,
- Two years cycle (uneven years),
- The Masters of Polish Poster,
- The Polish Poster History,
- International Poster Biennale – (even years),
- The Masters of Foreign Poster,
- Thematic exhibitions.

Maria Kurpik, Curator, The Poster Museum at Wilanów