Primo Angeli 1996 Centennial Olympics Poster - Framed

Matted and Framed, (27" w x 40" h)

This poster for the 1996 Olympics games was designed by San Francisco poster artist Primo Angeli and chosen by the International Olympic Committee as the official poster of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.

The poster depicts a silhouette of an athlete against a multi-colored background. Whether the small-waisted, broad-shouldered, short-haired subject is a male or a female athlete is, intentionally, anyone's guess.

"The prominent image of women has never been apparent in most of the images promoting the Olympic games," said Angeli. "Posters and other advertising vehicles have insisted on projecting decidedly masculine images. My aim is to fairly represent both sexes."

The choice of this poster as the official Olympics poster of 1996 was applauded not only because of the poster's strong design, but also because the athlete depicted could have been male or female, of any race, and from any country.

Background on artist Primo Angeli: Establishing his San Francisco firm in 1967, Primo Angeli built an international reputation in the field of graphic design and communications, with his main endeavors in packing, corporate identity, and environmental graphics. His personal interests were as an artist and poster designer. Primo Angeli's most recognizable work in San Francisco are the mural on the side of Tommy's Joynt on Van Ness, and the paper logo wrappers found on Molinari dry salami. Primo Angeli's work for international corporations can be seen in the logos and packaging for some of his clients, such as Coca-Cola, Nestle, Visa, Kraft, General Mills, Crystal Geyser, Miller Brewing, Quaker Oats Company, Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, AT&T, Banana Republic, Levi Strauss, the San Francisco International Airport, Xerox Corporation, The Asian Art Museum, and Guinness.

A number of Mr. Angeli's designs are in permanent collections and exhibitions worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Smithsonian Institution and Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design in New York, Achenbach Collection at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw Poster Collection, and Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

Value: $500