Created in 1978 by Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Kazhdan, this original English-language political poster was published by the Novosti Press Agency Publishing House. It belongs to an international campaign opposing the development of the neutron bomb during a renewed period of Cold War nuclear tension.
Kazhdan depicts a vast modern city in which every window has been transformed into a human skull. The buildings remain standing, but their inhabitants have disappeared. Above the skyline, a glowing yellow sun contains an enormous dollar sign, suggesting that financial and military interests have replaced human life as society’s highest priority.
The imagery refers directly to the neutron bomb, an enhanced-radiation weapon widely condemned for exposing populations to intense radiation while causing comparatively less structural destruction than a conventional nuclear weapon. Kazhdan transforms this disturbing principle into an immediately understandable visual message: the property survives, but the people do not.
Evgeny Kazhdan was a Soviet poster artist known for political, social and cultural compositions created for mass circulation. His work frequently employed simplified forms, bold contrasts and universally recognisable symbols. Here, the repetition of the skull becomes both an architectural pattern and an overwhelming representation of collective death.
With its stark graphic language, anti-nuclear message and documented Novosti Press Agency publication, this original poster will appeal to collectors of Cold War history, Soviet graphic design, political protest art and nuclear-disarmament material. It remains a forceful example of how poster design was used to communicate the dangers of the arms race to an international audience.
Original Poster
Energy - Nuclear - Political
Novosti Press Agency
Good condition
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