Original Poster 15th Olympic Games - Helsinki, Finland - after F. Sysimetsä - 1952

Emblematic of 1950s graphic design, this official poster for the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games powerfully embodies the universal spirit of sport and the Nordic modernity of the postwar era. Created after an original design by F. Sysimetsä and printed by OY. Tilgmann, it remains one of the most recognizable pieces in Olympic visual history.

At the center stands a stylized bronze-green runner, with the appearance of a classical statue, emerging from the globe and looking boldly to the future. Behind him, the five Olympic rings set against a blue background evoke the unity of the continents in a composition that is both simple and symbolically powerful. At his feet, Finland is outlined in red, a radiant point of origin.

In its original format of approximately 39.2 x 24.2 inches, this offset poster is linen-backed and in A condition, having retained the full freshness of its contrasts and the intensity of its palette.

A testament to an era marked by reconstruction, athletic renewal, and the values of universality, this 1952 Helsinki poster captures the evocative power of a global event etched into history.