Rare 1980 Soviet Olympic City Poster Series
Looking for rare Soviet Olympic posters that stand out from the typical memorabilia? The 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow produced one of the most visually cohesive and collectible poster sets in sports history — a series of five large-format prints featuring the official Olympic host cities: Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv, Minsk, and Tallinn.
Designed by V. Makarenko, this iconic series blended minimalist sports iconography with stunning architectural profiles of each Soviet city — and today, original versions are nearly impossible to find complete.
Apart from the posters, we also have premium quality T-shirts with these rare designs.
Kyiv T-shirt
Minsk T-shirt
Why This 1980 Soviet Olympic Poster Series Matters
Design historians and collectors recognise the 1980 Moscow Olympics as a peak moment in Soviet graphic arts. These five posters were not just decorative—they were part of a propaganda campaign titled “Sport in the Land of the Soviets”, aimed at showing the USSR as a united, modern, and athletic superpower.
Each city featured its own Olympic venue and famous landmark, with the same bold stylistic language across all five prints:
- Moscow – Olympic Stadium with the Kremlin’s towers
- Leningrad – Kirov Stadium with classical Leningrad architecture
- Kyiv – Rowing canal and modern skyline
- Minsk – Cycling track and Belorussian motif
- Tallinn – Sailing port and Baltic coastline
The visual unity and local pride embedded in the series made it both powerful and artistically timeless.
Who Was V. Makarenko?
Vladimir Makarenko was a prolific Soviet poster designer known for his precision, minimalism, and clarity of message. Though not as publicly known as propaganda artists like Viktor Koretsky, Makarenko’s Olympic posters are prized today for their clean graphic language — often compared to Swiss or Bauhaus styles — but unmistakably Soviet.
These city posters may be his most enduring legacy. Unlike typical Soviet posters filled with slogans, these relied on form, layout, and silhouette — letting architecture and sport speak for themselves.
Deep Dive: The Five Posters
1. Moscow Poster (Central Stadium)
Features the Luzhniki Olympic Stadium framed by red geometry and the iconic Kremlin skyline. It represents the central Olympic hub.
2. Leningrad Poster
Displays the monumental Kirov Stadium with a football pitch overlay and classic Leningrad architecture — now one of the most collected in the series.
3. Kyiv Poster
Depicts the Dnieper River and Kyiv’s bold modern buildings.
4. Minsk Poster.
5. Tallinn Poster (Sailing)
A maritime celebration of Estonia’s capital, showing the city’s medieval skyline and yacht racing venues.
Why Collectors Love This Series
- Rare full set: Finding all five posters together is increasingly difficult. Most sales happen as individual prints.
- Official poster designs released in 1978–1980, under the official Olympic committee.
- Unframed originals fetch anywhere from $300 to $1,200 each.
Want One for Yourself?
At Sovisual.art, we offer these museum-quality Olympic city posters printed on thick, archival Japanese paper in large 61×91cm (24×36″) format.
Whether you’re a nostalgic expat, a collector of Olympic history, or a fan of bold Soviet aesthetics, this is your chance to own a piece of forgotten Olympic design history.
Shop the full Soviet Olympic collection now
Final Thoughts
This five-poster series isn’t just about sports — it’s a design capsule from a lost era. The 1980 Olympic city posters by V. Makarenko reflect both the pride and complexity of late-Soviet cultural identity, all through elegant and unified visuals. For serious collectors and casual admirers alike, they are one of the last great poster series of the Soviet period.