This original 1973 East German theatre poster was created for the world premiere of Geschichte vom alten Adam—The Story of Old Adam—at the Landestheater Halle. The opera was composed by Hans Jürgen Wenzel, with a libretto by Joachim Rähmer after the novel by Erwin Strittmatter.
The striking composition combines a deep green background with monumental, hand-drawn black lettering. At its centre is a reproduction of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff’s 1919 woodcut Hoher Wald—Tall Forest—depicting an angular village surrounded by towering, dramatically simplified trees.
The stark contrast of the black-and-white woodcut against the saturated green field gives the poster an especially powerful graphic presence. Its vigorous typography echoes the rough, expressive character of the image, creating a compelling dialogue between early German Expressionism and 1970s East German theatrical design.
Wenzel’s opera explores the tensions created by an attempt to connect a rural village to the electrical grid. Through this deceptively simple story, the work addresses social change, resistance to modernisation and the conflicts that arise within a close-knit community.
A visually imposing and culturally significant original poster, it will appeal to collectors of German Expressionism, European theatre graphics and post-war design. For accuracy, it should be catalogued as a poster featuring—or after—Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, rather than as a poster designed by the artist himself.
Original Poster
Show - Theater - Expressionism - Germany
Landes Theater Halle - Lehnhof
Good condition, restoration
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