Over the past 100 years, the modern Olympic Games have come to represent the pinnacle of athletic achievement, and now occupy a place on a global stage as ‘the greatest sporting show on Earth’.
This vibrant new exhibition will explore the fascinating representation of the Olympic Games through the intensely visual medium of the poster. Coinciding with the Beijing Olympic Games of 2008 and the build-up to London 2012, exhibits will be drawn from the V&A’s rich collections of posters and ephemera, including stunning recent acquisitions.

At a time when the Olympic Movement is promoting the new Youth Olympic Games initiative, and underlining the benefits that young people from all backgrounds can experience through sporting activity, this exhibition celebrates physical and sporting achievement and offers inspiration to the athletes of tomorrow.

Athens 1896 Poster

No official poster was made for the 1896 Olympic Games, but the cover page of the official report is often used to refer to the Games of the I Olympiad. The inscription “776-1896″, like the drawing as a whole: the Olympic stadium in a newly designed horseshoe shape, the Acropolis, the girl personifying the goddess Athena and presenting the branch of wild olive intended for the victor, mark the bond between the Games of Antiquity and the first Games of the modern era.

Paris 1900 Poster

During the 1900 Universal Exhibition, certain events of international physical exercise and sports competitions were recognised as Olympic and made up the programme of the second modern Olympic Games. Several posters were created-athletics, rowing, cycling, fencing and gymnastics. Here, a female fencer holding in her right hand the three traditional weapons- foil, sword and sabre.

St Louis 1904 Poster

It shows a view of the host city, enhanced by the use of a “fish’s eye” effect. It is the reproduction of the cover of the programme of the Games.

London 1908 Poster

It represents the Olympic stadium in Shepherd’s Bush. Behind the high jump, in the centre, the swimming pool and cinder track.

Stockholm 1912 Poster

It represents the parade of nations, each athlete carrying a twirling flag and all going towards a common goal – the Olympic Games. The nudity of the athletes was a reference to the Games of Antiquity, although it was judged as too “daring” by some managers and not distributed in some countries.

Antwerp 1920 Poster

It represents the flags of the participating nations all flying together. In the top right, the coat of arms of the organising city. In the centre, a discobolus, a reference to the Games of Antiquity. In the background, the city of Antwerp with the Tower of Notre Dame.

Paris 1924 Poster

It shows semi-naked athletes, a reminder of Antiquity, making the Olympic salute. In the background, the flag of the French Republic. In the foreground, palm leaves, symbols of victory.

Amsterdam 1928 Poster

It shows a runner in action holding a laurel branch, symbol of victory. In the bottom part, wavy lines in red, white and blue represent the colours of the Dutch national flag.

Los Angeles 1932 Poster

The poster symbolizes the ancient custom which consisted in sending a Greek athlete to announce the celebration of the next Olympiad and to request the cessation of hostilities. The modern young sportsman presents the laurel of peace.

Berlin 1936 Poster

A competition was held for the design of the poster, but none of the entries were satisfactory. The publicity committee commissioned different artists and finally chose the project of Mr Würbel, that became the official poster. It features the Quadriga from the Brandenburg Gate, a landmark of the city of Berlin. In the background is the figure of a wreathed victor, his arm raised in the Olympic salute, symbolising Olympic sport.

St Moritz 1948 Poster

The official poster for the 1948 Olympic Games.

London 1948 Poster

It takes up the theme of the emblem i.e. the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. The hands of the famous “Big Ben” are pointing to 4 o’clock, the time at which the opening of the Games was planned – accompanied by the Olympic rings. In the foreground, there was the drawing of the statue of the “Discobolus” (classical icon of the discus thrower from Ancient Greece).

Helsinki 1952 Poster

It was the Paavo Nurmi poster, created for the 1940 Games, which were never held because of the Second World War. It was just updated with the dates and the lines around the countries, drawn in red on a globe in the background.

Melbourne 1956 Poster

It is in the form of an invitation card folded three times. On the first flap, the Olympic rings, in the background of the third flap, the arms of the city of Melbourne.

Rome 1960 Poster

It is made up of a Roman she-wolf, from which Remus and Romulus, founders of the city of Rome, are suckling, on top of a column. On this, there is a victorious athlete being crowned in accordance with Roman custom; around him, people dressed in togas cheering him.

Tokyo 1964 Poster

It recalls the official emblem, composed of the Olympic rings superimposed on the emblem of the Japanese national flag, representing the rising sun. There was a total of four official posters, all designed by Yusaku Kamekura. They were all made by photoengraving using several colours, highlighting the technology of the Japanese printing industry.

Mexico 1968 Poster

The series of posters for these Games came from the collaboration of three artists: Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, architect and President of the Organising Committee for the Games, Eduardo Terrazas (MEX) and Lance Wyman (USA) who designed the “Mexico 68” logo. They then developed it to create the black and white poster, which recalls the patterns of the Huichole Indians.

Grenoble 1968 Poster

This poster was created by the publicist Jean Brian. 170,000 copies were produced.

Munich 1972 Poster

Numerous posters were created for these Games, notably a series on the theme of sports competitions and cultural events. The official poster was meant to promote not one specific sports event, but the whole of the Munich Games. It was supposed to express the specific spirit of the Games. Here, the design evokes the modern architecture of the sporting venues, in a style and using colours which are purposefully simple and pure. In the centre of the background, the famous Olympic tower.

Montreal 1976 Poster

The Games Organising Committee made two main series of posters. The first illustrated eight key themes and the second illustrated sports.

Moscow 1980 Poster

It featured the emblem of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow: a section of a running track rising into an architectural silhouette typical of Moscow and a five-pointed star topping the silhouette.

Los Angeles 1984 Poster

Seoul 1988 Poster

The official poster represented the Games ideal of “Harmony and Progress” in the combination of two images. In the poster, the five rings symbolising the pure Olympic spirit were rendered in bright figurative form to represent the Olympic ideal illuminating the world in peace forever. The image of the runner carrying the Olympic torch symbolised mankind’s progress towards happiness and prosperity. The official posters were done with computer graphic techniques, and light blue and bright orange colours were blended to symbolise Korea as the Land of Morning Calm.

Barcelona 1992 Poster

Atlanta 1996 Poster

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Juan Antonio Samaranch, chose this image drawn by an artist from “The Look of the Games”, Primo Angeli, as the official poster for the 1996 Olympic Games. “The Look of the Games”, was established by the Creation Department to ensure the best quality in the design and production of all visible materials for the Atlanta Games.

Sydney 2000 Poster

Athens 2004 Poster

Beijing 2008 Poster

Source: Victoria and Albert Museum Shop, Maps of World.com.