The official poster has, over the years, found its place in the communication system of the Olympic Games. She goes through the years with more or less success.
Mexico 1968. The black and white lines, those of a track, revolve around the name of the city. Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, Eduardo Terrazas and Lance Wyman slip in just a little color to symbolize the rings. The poster, like the Games, will become embedded.
The set of rings stacked by London 2012. It could have been grabbed in a pub at rush hour. Ready to make your head spin. That of feast days.
Emil Huber captures an athlete who, at the height of his effort, eyes closed, body tense, holds a laurel branch with a firm hand. The background of the poster for the Amsterdam Games in 1928 is disturbed like a Vincent Van Gogh sky in Auvers-sur-Oise.
The rings just accompanied by a slight reflection. Just topped with the title Montreal 1976. Sober. Classic. Often used afterwards.
There was no poster to accompany the first Games of the modern era. This is the cover of the official report which will stand the test of time. Symbolic (with the Acropolis, the Panathenaic stadium, the olive branch, the date 776 BC referring to the first ancient Olympic Games).
The olive crown, symbol of the Games of Antiquity in the blue background of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The symbol is strong, clear.
In 1900, it was a fencer dressed all in black, carrying traditional weapons (foil, epee, sabre) who, although no woman was registered in competition (they did not enter the Games until 1924). In 1924, Jean Droit’s poster freezes athletes performing the Olympic salute.
The first “official” poster dates from Stockholm in 1912. Signed Olle Hjortzberg, carrying flags by extras. The nudity of the protagonists has been the subject of criticism.
Helsinki celebrates the 1952 Olympic Games with the bronze statue of Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi (9 gold medals between 1920 and 1928, from 1,500 to 10,000 m). The statue runs on the globe.
Los Angeles 1984. Robert Rauschenberg slipped images into a star. The eye is lost. The colors clash. The message goes out.
The poster for the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. The movement unites nature and athletes. Symbols of diversity and harmony.
