EUROPA GALLERY PRESENTS 'A CENTURY OF OLYMPIC POSTER'

'A CENTURY OF OLYMPIC POSTER', WHICH FEATURES MORE THAN 100 POSTERS CHARTING THE HISTORY OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES, WILL BE ON DISPLAY IN THE EUROPA GALLERY IN SUTTON'S CENTRAL LIBRARY DURING SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. DRAWN FROM THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM'S INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED COLLECTION OF POSTERS, THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES MANY RARE AND BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLES, MOST OF WHICH ARE DISPLAYED TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE FREE EXHIBITION, WHICH HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN DISPLAYED IN BEIJING AND WILL BE MOVING ON TO OTHER INTERNATIONAL VENUES, WILL ALSO FEATURE OLYMPIC MEMORABILIA, INCLUDING THE OLYMPIC TORCH FROM THE 1948 GAMES IN LONDON. IT IS BEING HELD TO COINCIDE WITH THE BUILD UP TO LONDON 2012. HIGHLIGHTS WILL INCLUDE THE PIONEERING OFFICIAL OLYMPIC POSTER PRODUCED FOR THE 1912 STOCKHOLM OLYMPICS, AND IMPORTANT WORKS BY DAVID HOCKNEY, R B KITAJ, ANDY WARHOL AND VICTOR VASARELY. ALSO FEATURED IS FRANZ WURBEL'S DESIGN FOR THE BERLIN OLYMPICS IN 1936, WHERE JESSE OWENS WON FOUR GOLD MEDALS AND A SOVIET ERA DESIGN FOR THE 1980 MOSCOW GAMES. AS WELL AS THE DESIGNS FOR THE SUMMER GAMES, THERE WILL BE WINTER OLYMPIC POSTERS AND PROTEST POSTERS AND DESIGNS USED BY CITIES TO SUPPORT THEIR BIDS TO HOST THE GAMES. THE POSTERS' BROAD POPULAR APPEAL AND ABILITY TO RELAY MESSAGES THROUGH EYE-CATCHING AND MEMORABLE IMAGERY MEANS THAT MANY OF THEM ARE NOW PRIZED SOUVENIRS OR COLLECTIBLE WORKS OF ART AND DESIGN.