Press. Publications. Exhibitions
Soviet Anti - Alcohol Posters from the Sergo Grigorian collection. Golden collection. 24 posters.
Drunkenness is the age-old scourge of the Russian nation. Soviet posters campaigned long and hard against this ingrained national vice. And as we know - all in vain. Before the Communists came along the Tzars wrestled with the problem; after them the Democratic Oligarchy made a half-hearted attempt at the same.
The fight against drunkenness was official Soviet policy, which is why these posters hold a special place in my collection.
The only time anti-drunkenness posters were hardly ever issued was in wartime, when other more pressing concerns took precedence...
All these posters could well find application today, just as they were originally intended. They neither contain any hint at class, nor, for the most part, any Soviet Era symbolism. For this reason these eye-catching and eloquent posters are perfectly suited for hanging up conspicuously in workplaces, factories, offices, student hostels, schools and, needless to say, villages.
This section of my collection contains some curious, even ridiculous posters, but mostly they are surprisingly cheerful. Maybe they hold the key to changing the nation's habits?
When all is said and done, the USSR accumulated 70-years of experience in fighting the curse of drunkenness. Should we not make use of that?
Sergo Grigorian.
Published in: A joint publication by OOO "Kontakt - Kultura" and Sergo Grigorian, Moscow, 2012