Exhibition at the American Center presents Czechoslovak posters of American movies

Czech poster promoting road movie Easy Rider (1971) is the example of censorship - American flag on Peter Fonda's back is obscured by smoke

Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Praha 1 - Malá Strana
When: Monday - Thursday 1 PM - 4 PM until mid May

The American Center opened an exhibition of Czechoslovak posters of American movies spanning 30 years (1959-1989).

Czechoslovakian film posters are an important European phenomenon in the history of modern fine arts.

In many countries, film posters traditionally contained the same elements: photographs of main performers, large titles, and illustrative and descriptive designs. In Czechoslovakia, however, prominent graphic artists and designers created unique art posters over a span of thirty years (1959-1989).  For many designers, work on film posters was their only source of income. 

Posters had to be approved by a committee, however, besides small restrictions, the designer was free to determine the ‘look’ of the poster. An example of censorship can be found in the poster for the film Easy Rider, in which the originally visible American flag on Peter Fonda’s back is obscured by smoke.

The exhibition will be open until mid May 2009.

Exhibited posters can be seen in the picture gallery.