Ord og Billede - Word & Picture (1971)

Louisiana exhibition poster with work by the artist, Henning Damgård-Sørensen (1928-2013), from Louisiana's exhibition, Word and Picture—a Poster Exhibition, in 1971. Composed of posters from several exhibitions, Louisiana showed the varied poster production worldwide, as a reflection of the artistic currents of the time: Pop Art, the New Symbolism, Art Nouveau, 20s style, Surrealism among many more.

Louisiana's exhibition of posters from 16 different countries showed how poster art was—and is—influenced by painting, photography, graphics and film. The exhibition brought pop art, political poster art from Cuba, posters from Poland, where one finds a rich and independent tradition of poster art, posters from collections in the USA over Soviet posters with political content.

In the poster's infancy 100 years ago, it was a powerful medium with its combination of text and image. And back then, the poster was also a fast medium that ensured topicality. And large circulations allowed for repeated effects in the streetscape. No wonder that the poster was a popular form of communication for those who had something on their mind.

Since then we are flooded with communication and forms of communication and the eye has to sort through an eternal stream of images. But despite the competition, the poster has nevertheless remained successful, perhaps especially as applied art, created for the present and the situation—and for memory and reflection.