By the time World War II broke out in Europe in 1939, preparations had been completed for the scheduled 1940 Olympiad in Helsinki, including this official poster chosen in competition from among 72 Finnish artists. When the war forced the event to be canceled, Helsinki had to wait until 1952 to host the Games, and it was decided to use the old poster, substituting only the new dates. The design depicts a bronze statue (by Waimo Aaltonen) of the most famous Finnish athlete—Olympic runner Paavo Nurmi—together with a globe on which the location of Finland is highlighted. This is the larger format of the original poster with English text.
Tilgmann, Finland
literature: Ateny-Atlanta, 13 (var); Olympic Posters, 36; PAI-LIX, 504