Incredible original first edition 1973 Polish Circus poster ‘Talking Monkey’ by Hubert Hilscher for the State run circus (Cyrk). Hubert Hilscher was trained as an architect before becoming a poster designer so his work is always very balanced. But, as here, also bursting with charm. This is a very iconic image and always makes us smile.

As with so many Polish posters there is a deeper hidden meaning, however, beneath the surface. From 1945-1989, when Poland was under strict Communist rule, monkeys were used to depict people in power. They often appear in the Cyrk (State circus) posters as there is also a famous Polish proverb which translates as 'Not my circus, not my monkey'. The design of the poster would have been to have a sly dig at the Communist state - not my circus, not my government.

Polish B1 size: 66.5 x 97.5 cm