Helsinki 1952 Olympic Poster
3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum
- Title:
- Helsinki 1952 Olympic Poster
- Illustrator:
- Ilmari Sysimetsä
- Printer:
- Oy Tilgmann Ab
- Production place:
- Finland
- Date:
- 1952
- Period:
- 20th century CE
- Title:
- Helsinki 1952 Olympic Poster
- Illustrator:
- Ilmari Sysimetsä
- Printer:
- Oy Tilgmann Ab
- Production place:
- Finland
- Date:
- 1952
- Period:
- 20th century CE
- Material:
- Paper
- Technique:
- Printing
- Dimensions:
- 101 × 62 cm
For the Helsinki 1952 Olympics poster, the Organising Committee of the Games arranged a contest, which proved unsuccessful. Therefore, they decided to use the poster created ten years prior by Finnish graphic designer Ilmari Sysimetsä (1912-1955) for the cancelled, 1940 Olympics. Cancelled due to World War II, the Games were planned to take place in Helsinki.
The poster features the statue of the legendary Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi (1897-1993) who reigned in middle and long-distance running during the 1920s with 12 Olympic medals. After the Paris 1924 Olympic Games, where he won five gold medals, the Finnish government commissioned a sculpture of Nurmi to the celebrated artist Wäinö Aaltonen (1894-1966).
Apart from the dates, the original 1940 poster had to revise its depiction of Finland’s borders after the War.
