Comrade Kyiv | Art & Adventure from the USSR

Latest from Comrade Kyiv

Art against Authority: The Glass Harmonica

Promoting Peace: Vintage Propaganda Posters

The USSR and the USA both considered the other to be the aggressor.Artists were employed to create posters that advocated for the peaceful exploration of outer space or peace to the children of the world.

Shop collection

The Race to Space: Vintage Space Propaganda Posters

Space was the dramatic arena for an ideological struggle between Communism and Capitalism. The USSR understood the power of image. Sputnik, space and cosmonauts were central motifs in propaganda posters.

Shop collection

Propagandising the Healthy: Vintage Propaganda Posters

In the USSR, healthcare was especially important. The population needed to be strong and healthy so that the Socialist utopia could be realised. Propaganda posters encouraged people to stay healthy.

Shop collection

Polish School of Posters: Vintage Film & Propaganda Posters

The artists behind the Polish School of Posters were commissioned by the state to create film & propaganda posters. Given a broadly ‘anti-western’ brief, the resulting artworks were intensely aesthetic.

Shop collection

Protecting our Planet: Vintage Environmental Posters

In the 1890s, Russia created the first nature sanctuaries in the world. Beside public policy, striking propaganda posters were commissioned to remind people that ‘April is the month of cleanliness’.

Shop collection

At the Circus: Vintage Soviet Cyrk Posters

The circus was the peoples’ entertainment. Unlike the ballet, it was accessible. Tickets were just a few dollars. Posters advertising performances were characterised by bold colours and striking typography.

Shop collection

Young Pioneers: Vintage Soviet Youth Propaganda Posters

Young Pioneers were the Soviet’s answer to the Boy Scouts of America. But, they were much more political. Millions of posters with bright colours and simple slogans were created to remind children to be good Socialists.

Shop collection

Theatre Time: Vintage Theatre Posters

Theatre was controlled by the Soviet state. It wasn’t just entertainment, it taught the audience to think, and to read between the lines. Theatre posters are characterised by bright colours and an aesthetic playfulness.

Shop collection

Tierpark: Vintage Zoo & Animal Posters

Tierpark was created by the East German state as a rival to the famous West Berlin Zoological Gardens. East German artists created advertising posters of the more than 120 species at the newly opened park.

Shop collection

Safety First: Vintage Safety Propaganda Posters

Poor safety standards and a largely illiterate population meant workplace accidents were commonplace. The state commissioned artists to create visual and often violent safety posters for the walls of factories.

Shop collection

Playing with Type: Vintage Soviet Typography Posters

Soviet artists treated typography as a visual element in and of itself. It communicated, engaged and entertained. Artists manipulated type and placement to emphasise a message in Soviet poster design.

Shop collection

The Olympics Games: Vintage Soviet Sports Posters

The Olympics were a chance for the USSR to outshine their Cold War rival. The real winner was art. Some of the most striking posters ever produced come from the design competition held to promote the Games.

Shop collection