Roman Cieślewicz - Tre bassotti

Three dachshunds – Original vintage poster from 1966

in the bottom right corner there is the inscription WDA 2 ZAM 363 – 2500 - 100 WHAT DOES IT SIGNIFY?
The string WDA 2 ZAM 363 – 2500 - 100 is the official printing imprint of the era. In posters of the Polish School of Poster produced under the communist regime, it was mandatory to include these technical initials to trace production and state approval. [1]
Each element of the string has a precise meaning:
• WDA: Indicates the state printing house responsible for the edition. It is the Warszawska Drukarnia Akcydensowa (State Printing and Commercial Graphic Workshop of Warsaw). [1]
• 2: Represents the department type or the specific press machine used inside the plant.
• ZAM 363: Stands for Zamówienie (Order) number 363. It was the internal identifying code of the state commission for publishing that particular subject.
• 2500: Indicates the exact print run, i.e., the total number of copies authorized and produced for that batch (in this case, 2,500 copies).
• 100: This final number refers to the internal format code or, more commonly in Polish period codes, to the percentage/code for assigning the paper or official distribution within the national territory.
Why is it important?
The presence of this original typographic string is the primary certificate of authenticity for a collector: it proves the poster is not a modern mass-market reproduction from a home decor store, but an original print from 1966 that passed through the official presses of the Polish State.

It was part of a series designed by the legendary Polish artist Roman Cieślewicz, renowned artist of the Polish Poster School, to promote the Warsaw city zoo.
The posters for the zoo have become iconic mid-century graphic design examples, even though they were original state-commissioned editions to promote cultural events, being the only outlet of expression for artists of the era. They reveal a sublime protest against the regime. Often printed by hand, the color tone varied in intensity. This poster comes from a small gallery in Venice, “Centro Posters and Gadgets,” closed in 1971, which mainly dealt in posters, for pop art.
It is, in all respects, an authentic and valuable vintage piece printed during the golden age of the Polish School of Poster, not a modern reproduction for the mass market.
Excellent condition, the work is accompanied by an invoice and authenticity and provenance certificates.

Roman Cieślewicz (1930–1996)
• Origins and Training: Born January 13, 1930 in Lviv (then Poland, today Ukraine), he studied at the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, where he graduated in 1955.
• The Polish period: In Warsaw he began his career by creating avant-garde film and cultural posters. Between 1959 and 1962 he was art director of the innovative fashion magazine Ty i Ja.
• Move to Paris (1963): In 1963 he moved to France, where he quickly achieved enormous international success. He became Art Director of Elle magazine (from 1966 to 1969) and regularly collaborated with Vogue, the advertising agency M.A.F.I.A., and prestigious cultural institutions such as the Centre Pompidou.
• Style and Techniques: His visual language blends the heritage of Russian Constructivism with elements of Surrealism and Pop Art. He is regarded as an absolute master of photomontage, collage, and the expressive use of strong color contrasts and hypnotic geometric shapes. His works are today housed in the collections of the world’s most important museums, including MoMA in New York."