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Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case Y79, Shelf E

CO CHCE KS[reversed]C

Poster
1989 (Printed and published)
Artist/Maker

This satirical poster attacks the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia during the Velvet Revolution, exposing the party's intention to retain political control while appearing to appease the pro-democracy movement. The satire is conveyed through the title, 'What the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia Wants', by reversing the S in the party's initials (KSC) and subverting it to form a question mark.


Object details

Object type
Titles
  • CO CHCE KS[reversed]C (assigned by artist)
  • What the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia Wants (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Offset lithograph in black and red
Brief description
Satirical poster attacking the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia during the Velvet Revolution; designed, published and printed in Czechoslovakia, 1989.
Physical description
Satirical poster, comprising text only. Red ink stencilled onto white paper has left the lettering of the title uncoloured; the whole sheet is overprinted with black text. The political message is expressed through the subversion of the central character, S, in the initials of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, KSC, by reversing it to form a question mark.
Dimensions
  • Maximum height: 39.2cm
  • Maximum width: 29.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
CO CHCE KS[reversed]C
Translation
What the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia wants
Credit line
Given by Zdenek Kavan
Subjects depicted
Summary
This satirical poster attacks the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia during the Velvet Revolution, exposing the party's intention to retain political control while appearing to appease the pro-democracy movement. The satire is conveyed through the title, 'What the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia Wants', by reversing the S in the party's initials (KSC) and subverting it to form a question mark.
Associated object
E.2419-1991 (Duplicate)
Collection
Accession number
E.15-1991

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Record createdJanuary 25, 2006
Record URL
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