Malevich-style Sochi Winter Olympics posters unveiled

Few Russian artists are as well known around the world as Kazimir Malevich so it’s no surprise that the designers of the official 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics posters turned to him for inspiration. In a nod to Malevich, a pioneer of abstract art in the first half of the 20th century, several of the resulting posters feature athletes made up of geometric shapes.

The Malevich-style skiers and Olympic gold medallists stand against a background of snow-capped mountains and blue sea, typical of Sochi. Speaking about the decision to honour Malevich, a member of the Olympics Organising Committee told press that it was “the style most recognisable for Russia”. Other posters feature multi-coloured Matryoskha dolls decorated in traditional Russian wood painting such as Khokhloma.