Wrestling - Munich 1972, by Otl Aicher

This striking official poster for the 1972 Munich Olympics depicts two stylised wrestlers rendered in vibrant colours against a bold orange background. The image employs a distinctive posterization technique where a photographic action shot of wrestling competition has been transformed into simplified blocks of blue and yellow. Two wrestlers are shown in dynamic confrontation—one figure is bent forward with arms extended while a second figure is positioned in a grappling stance. Their bodies create an abstract, almost sculptural composition that captures the intense physical interaction central to the sport of wrestling. The simplified forms maintain the essential movement and tension of the athletes while reducing them to their most graphic elements. At the bottom of the poster, in mint green text, appears "München" alongside the Olympic rings logo and the year "1972", with a stylised sunburst motif beneath that serves as the official Games emblem.

The poster was part of an innovative and comprehensive visual identity programme for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, designed by renowned German graphic designer Otl Aicher and his Department XI team. Wrestling featured prominently in these Games, with competition held at the purpose-built Fairgrounds Hall (Messe München), where 388 athletes from 49 nations competed across 20 events in both Greco-Roman and freestyle disciplines. The USSR dominated the wrestling events, winning multiple gold medals including Zagalav Abdulbekov's victory in the freestyle 57kg category. American Dan Gable achieved a remarkable feat by winning gold without having a single point scored against him throughout the competition—the only wrestler in Olympic history to accomplish this. The 1972 Olympics were tragically marred by the Munich Massacre, when Palestinian terrorists took 11 Israeli team members hostage on September 5th, all of whom were killed along with a German police officer, temporarily halting all competitions before they resumed after a memorial service.

Otl Aicher (1922-1991) was one of Germany's most influential graphic designers of the 20th century. His principled opposition to Nazi ideology shaped his lifelong commitment to democratic design, leading to his arrest in 1937 for refusing to join the Hitler Youth. After the war, he co-founded the influential Ulm School of Design in 1953 with his wife Inge Scholl, whose siblings Hans and Sophie were executed for their resistance activities with the White Rose movement.