Original 1979 Soviet Speed Skating Poster – RSFSR Sports Committee – 60 × 90 cm / 23.6 × 35.4 in

An original 1979 Soviet sports poster, Speed Skating («Конькобежный спорт»), presents athletic speed through a restrained modernist composition. Issued by the Administration of Sports Events of the Committee on Physical Culture and Sports under the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, it belongs to the public visual culture of Soviet physical fitness and competitive winter sport. RSFSR stands for the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Russian republic within the USSR, rather than the Soviet Union as a whole.

The supplied description identifies a skater wearing competitor number 4, bent into a low racing posture. Overlapping contours in charcoal, slate grey and icy blue suggest successive phases of movement, turning a single figure into an image of sustained forward momentum. Against the off-white ground, bold Cyrillic lettering provides a firm counterpoint to the athlete’s angled body. The effect is economical rather than illustrative: speed is communicated through repetition, silhouette and tonal contrast instead of a detailed stadium setting.

This combination of disciplined typography and sequential form places the poster within the broader language of mid-century Soviet graphic modernism. It records a sporting culture in which physical training and athletic achievement were promoted through widely distributed public imagery, while retaining a distinctive focus on the concentration and precision of the individual competitor.

Authenticity

Original vintage Soviet poster from 1979, not a modern reprint.

Title: «Конькобежный спорт»
Translation: “Speed Skating”
Year: 1979
Artist: Not identified in the supplied material
Issuing body: Administration of Sports Events, Committee on Physical Culture and Sports under the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR
Russian issuing-body credit: Управление спортивных мероприятий Комитета по физической культуре и спорту при Совете Министров РСФСР
Origin: USSR
Size: 60 × 90 cm / 23.6 × 35.4 in (width × height)
Medium: Offset lithograph on paper

Condition

Very good original vintage condition. The inks retain clear tonal contrast across the skater’s figure, with sharp black typography. The paper surface is smooth and well-preserved.

A faint horizontal centre fold is present, consistent with distribution, together with light handling wear along the outer margins. The white borders are clean and the corners intact. The reverse is clean, with no major staining, tape residue or structural damage noted in the supplied condition report.

Please review the photographs, including the reverse, for the individual characteristics of this vintage sheet. What you see is what you receive.

Shipping & Packaging

Dispatched within 1–3 business days from our studio. The poster is rolled in acid-free tissue paper and packed in a heavy-duty reinforced mailing tube, with tracking provided.

Standard delivery: BH Pošta registered post, estimated at 1–4 weeks.
Express delivery: DHL Express, estimated at 2–5 business days.

Framing

Professional custom framing available upon request. Contact us before checkout.