Famous Polish poster artist Waldemar Swierzy (1931 - November 2013) was born in Katowice, Poland. Following the completion of his degree at the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts, Swierzy moved to Warsaw and began teaching at the Poznan Academy of Fine Arts and then at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. Most famous for his poster art, Swierzy has won countless awards for his work as well as shown his work internationally, including at the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition. Swierzy has produced over 2,500 posters, many of which have sold over a million copies.

Many aspects of American culture, including motion pictures, Chicago gangsters, Las Vegas card sharks, and jazz performers, have had a profound influence of Swierzy and his work. Using these as inspiration, Swierzy helped pioneer the poster art style in Poland during the Communist era, an art movement that took off internationally as the destruction and desolation of World War II slowly faded. When speaking of Swierzy and his work Polish art critic and curator Ewa Gorzadek says, “Equaling the form of the poster with the form of painting, this style has continued up to the present. What sets it apart—besides vivid colors—is a particular dynamics targeted at the hurried viewer whose perception of the street poster is likewise hurried. From close up these posters resemble a multi-colored mish-mash of abstract items such as pasta-like lines, splashes, smudges, spots, dots and streaks giving the impression of randomness.”

With dozens of international awards, honors and exhibitions to his name, Swierzy passed away November 27, 2013 after a long battle with cancer.