Olbiński and the Opera
The exhibit of forty posters produced by the prominent illustrator and painter will be opened at the Polish Embassy on the eve of the Washington Opera premier performance and then transferred to the Kennedy Center.
"Rigoletto, wearing a red devil's hat, cries tears of blood. Tosca manipulates the string of a tiny marionette, representing her lover....Carmen resides on an ornate sofa, ona side of which merges into the head, horns and feet of a bull. This images appear not on stage but on billboards and on brochures. They are the work of a master of the contemporary poster, Rafał Olbiński. (D. Burgwyn, "Opera Now").
Born in Poland and educated at the Architectural Department of Warsaw Politechnical School, Rafal Olbiński came to the United States in 1982, . For his work, he has received more than 100 awards including Gold Medals from the Society of Illustrators and the Art Director Club of New York. In 1994 he won the international Oscar for The World’s Most Memorable Poster, and the following year, his poster was chosen as the official “New York City Capital of the World” by a jury led by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. His clients include Newsweek, Time, Businesses Week, The Atlantic Monthly, Playboy, Omni, The New York Times, The New Yorker. His work is held in the collections of the Library of Congress Print Collection, The Carnegie Foundation, Republic New York Corporation, Equitable Capitol Corporation, Searle Corporation, Continental Corporation, Bowne & Co. Corporation, Holiday Inn International as well as numerous collections in the United States and internationally. He has been the subject of many profiles and since 1985 he has taught at the School of Visual Arts.