Waldemar Swierzy - The Jacksonville Jazz Series (Fine Art Prints / Polish Poster Art)

The publishers of JazzArtCollection proudly introduce the Limited Edition issue of a series of five Waldemar Swierzy fine arts prints originally designed as posters for the Jacksonville and All That Jazz Festival. The series began in 1983 and brought the then little-known, but now famous artist to Jacksonville, Florida, at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union; a time when travel between the US and nations behind the so-called Iron Curtain was difficult. The original poster in the series, an impressionistic version of a trumpet player, brought both media attention and brisk sales, which continued until the series concluded in 1987. The series has been out of print for many years. The new edition consists of serigraphs printed by Kolibri Art Studio, an international multi award-winning atelier noted for the extremely high quality of their product. The prints, measuring 32”x41” are printed on neutral ph Coventry Rag fine art paper in as many as 14 colors. Five musical instruments are featured: trumpet, saxophone, trombone, guitar and drums. 350 prints is the press run limit for each of the five. Mr. Swierzy has so far produced more than 1,500 posters and many have been tremendously popular. Throughout his career, he was particularly influenced by American jazz and jazz players and the Jacksonville series finds him at his very best. America’s influence on Swierzy, whether it be motion pictures, Chicago gangsters, Las Vegas card sharks or most notably, jazz performers and their instruments, shine through in his art with sparkling energy and bubbling good humor.

Waldemar Swierzy was born in Katowice, Poland and studied at the Cracow Academy of Fine Arts Department of Graphic Arts, in Katowice, Poland. In 1952, he graduated from the university and moved to Warsaw. In the years 1965-1996, he taught at what is now the Poznan Academy of Fine Arts. Starting in 1994, he also lectured at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. From 1979 until 1997, Swierzy served as President of the International Poster Biennale in Warsaw specializing in poster, illustration, scenography, and exhibition design. He has won countless major awards for his work including: Toulouse-Lautrec Grand Prix, Versailles 1959; Polish Poster Biennale, Katowice, Gold Medal 1965, 1971, 1975, Silver Medal 1977, 1987, 1989; International Tourism Posters Exhibition, Mediolan 1967, Silver Medal; International Biennale of the Arts, Sao Paulo 1969, first prize; International Poster Biennale, Warsaw, Silver Medal 1972, Gold Medal 1976. First Prize, Lahti, Finland, 1977; Gold and Bronze Medal at the International Jazz Salon “Jazzpo,” 1985;Gold Medal at the Polish Poster Biennial, Katowice, 1989; He is a member of the elite Aliance Graphique International (AGI). His works have been shown internationally, including the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition Swierzy has so far produced more than 1,500 posters — an impressive number which may make him the record holder. Many have been tremendously popular; the 1954 Mazowsze poster has sold over a million copies. While his main focus has been culture (theatre, film, circus and music), he has not shunned social and sports themes. Niklaus Troxler a Swiss designer and the organizer of the Willisau Jazz Festival, in his book, Swierzy. wrote, “Swierzy’s works are always fresh, easy and entertaining,. They are full of a joy of life, humor and optimism…and there is no end to the approaches. He has made Polish poster art famous internationally. His pictures depict the world as a circus, a tragic transience of ideologies, a surrealistic dance.”

By Paul Lentz

In 1982 I traveled with the New Orleans Excelsior Brass Band to perform at the Mayport (Florida) jazz festival and became friendly with the producer, who was an aide to the Mayor of Jacksonville. The festival subsequently relocated to Jacksonville and aligned with PBS station WJCT to produce the first Jacksonville and All That Jazz Festival in 1983. Aware of the success of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival poster, I suggested that the Jacksonville festival offer a poster for sale as a means of yielding additional revenue. After some negotiation, I entered into an agreement to produce a series of posters for the festival, under the auspices of Art Posters, Inc. Having secured the contract, I needed to produce the poster. In effect, it necessitated artwork that would have a lasting and significant appeal to the public. During this time, a 1983 edition of Smithsonian Magazine had a cover story entitled “The Power of Polish Posters.” The cover featured a poster by Waldemar Swierzy and the accompanying story was intriguing. This was when the Solidarity movement was beginning in Poland and was at the height of the cold war between the U.S. and Soviet Union. I decided to contact the Polish Embassy in Washington, D.C. to see whether any of the artists under their control would be interested in submitting artwork for possible reproduction in the U.S. They were helpful in arranging for several artists to submit samples. The best of the lot was an impressionistic trumpet player by Waldemar Swierzy. The Swierzy artwork grabbed you immediately, which is exactly what you want in a poster.