“The official poster for the Antwerp 1920 [Olympic] Games was executed by Walter Van der Ven... A version of the image had previously been chosen by the provisional committee for the cover illustration of its 1914 brochure, thus explaining the poster’s slightly old-fashioned concept. It featured a discus thrower in the foreground, enveloped in a swirl of the flags of the participating nations... with the Belgian flag prominent to the left and the coat of arms of Antwerp displayed top right. A panoramic view of the city, showing the majestic towers of the Gothic cathedral of Our Lady, the Grote Markt and old City Hall, reinforced the message that Antwerp’s proud cultural heritage justified its selection as the venue for the VII Olympiad—a precursor of the many posters in the years to come that would project patriotic imagery and emblems of civic identity” (Olympic Posters, p. 31). This is the larger format, French text version of the poster.
Lith. E. Stockmans, Anvers
literature: (all var but Sportissimo and PAI): Ateny-Atlanta, 6; Olympics, p. 25; Olympic Posters, 18; Sportissimo, p. 14; PAI-LXXXVIII, 4