1970s

Set amidst the moral decay of New York City following the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal, Martin Scorsese's 1976 psychological thriller Taxi Driver starred Robert De Niro as a lonely and disturbed anti-hero cab driver and war vet growing increasingly alienated and unhinged as his dreams of cleaning up the corrupt and sleazy city lead him down a path of violence, plotting to assassinate both a presidential candidate and the pimp of an underage prostitute, played by a 12 year old Jodie Foster. Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, it was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor for De Niro and Best Supporting Actor for Foster. De Niro's You talkin' to me? scene, where he imagines a confrontation in front of a mirror, gave us one of the most iconic quotes in movie history.

Drawing on his Eastern European heritage, the photomontage style of the Polish and Russian Interwar Period and a predilection for the dark baroque, it is no wonder that celebrated Anglo-Polish graphic artist Andrzej Klimowski was able to so concisely capture the tortured anxiety of Travis Bickle on this evocative poster for the first Polish release of Taxi Driver. Raised in London by Polish émigré parents, Klimowski studied at Central Saint Martins before moving to Warsaw to study under renowned poster aritst Henryk Tomaszewski. Gaining some renown as a poster designer for film and theatre through the late 1970s until his return to Britain in 1980, Klimowski is now the current head of illustration at London's Royal College of Art and his work has recently been the subject of a retrospective at the Theatre Museum in London.

Condition

Excellent (A-)

Unfolded, not backed. Minor nicks to edges, the largest a ¼ in. horizontal tear to left edge. Handling wear and creasing to edges and some light creases through artwork. Image and colours excellent.