Vintage Posters | Oh! What A Lovely War | Szaybo

“Oh, What a Lovely War!” is an epic musical developed by Joan Littlewood and her ensemble at the Theatre Workshop in 1963. It is a satire on World War I, and by extension on war in general. The title is derived from the “somewhat satirical” music hall song “Oh! It’s a Lovely War!”, which is one of the major numbers in the production. The poster artist Rosław Szaybo ​(1933-2019) was a Polish graphic designer, illustrator, and photographer. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and received diplomas from both the poster and painting workshops. Professionally, he worked as an artistic and creative director for large institutions and designed posters, exhibitions, album and book covers, as well as satirical drawings. His work shows an emphasis on surrealist and tachisme influences, as well as experimentation with the use of photographic techniques in posters.