Catalogue Number
NMLH.2023.17
Object Name
Poster
Title
Praise of Communism
People
Bertold Brecht
Date
1972-1982
Description
The Poster Collective was a collective formed in 1971 at the Slade School of Art,  a group formed to initially produce posters in response to the miners strike and on the wars in both Vietnam and Ireland. It was formed on the basis of developing a coherent visual style, which addressed the political issues of the time. This included the armed struggles against colonialism in Africa, the struggle of women for equal rights and the continuing struggle against racism. The collective was active in the 70's and 80's, producing posters on a wide range of issues, including for educational purposes. The group was not-for-profit and used a variety of hand-printing techniques to create their posters. This is a black and white poster featuring an image of playwright Bertold Brecht and a quote of his: "Praise of Communism / It's sensible, / anyone can understand it. / It's easy. / You're not an exploiter, / so you can grasp it / It's a good thing for you, / find out more about it. / The stupid call it stupid / and the squalid call it squalid. / It is against squalor and / against stupidity. / The exploiters call it a crime / but we know: / It is the end of crime. / It is not madness, but / The end of madness. / It is not the riddle / But the solution. / It is the simple thing / So hard to achieve."
