World's Oldest Poster Museum Reopens in Warsaw After Restoration

The Poster Museum in Wilanów, a suburb of Warsaw and the world's oldest institution of its kind, has reopened after a conservation restoration co-funded by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Its collection now holds approximately 63,000 works, including Polish and international posters from the late 19th century to today, featuring the Polish Poster School and pieces by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Stasys Eidrigevičius. Founded in 1961 by National Museum Warsaw director Stanisław Lorentz as a section of the Contemporary Art Gallery, it became an autonomous entity on June 4, 1968, during the second International Poster Biennale. The reopening exhibition, "Polish Posters: The Collection," displays 240 works covering 130 years of Polish urban life, touching on history, political propaganda, cinema, theater, music, and fashion. Due to conservation needs, posters are rotated every three months to protect them from light and humidity. The accompanying Warsaw Poster Biennale, initiated in 1966 by Józef Mroszczak and Henryk Tomaszewski, awards prizes in Cultural, Advertising, and Ideological categories; past winners include Pierre Bernard, Shigeo Fukuda, Milton Glaser, and Andy Warhol. The next Biennale is scheduled for 2027.