Poster child: This poster advertised the World Ski Championship that was held in Finland in February 1938.

HA NOI (VNS)— One hundred Finnish posters printed since the beginning of the 20th century are on display at the National Library in Ha Noi.

The week-long exhibition, 100 Years – 100 Posters from the Lahti Poster Museum, depicts not only the evolution of graphic design but also the development of Finland's society and economy.

Visitors are given a broad picture of sports, tourism, advertising and education.

Some posters advertise important national or cultural events, such as the Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1952, tourism, fairs and exhibitions. Others promote social issues like traffic safety, anti-drink and drug campaigns and the environment.

Many of the posters are early advertisements of well-known Finnish companies such as Finnair, Nokia, Fazer and Sinebrychoff.

According to Finland's Ambassador to Viet Nam, Kimmo Lahdevirta, posters have played a very important role in providing information and creating solidarity.

"In this exhibition, we have wanted to give prominence to posters which give insights into the time periods they represent. Posters have been – along with newspapers and magazines – a key media for visual communication," he said.

The exhibition is part of this year's celebration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Finland and Viet Nam.

"This is an excellent opportunity for Vietnamese, and in particular those who love poster art, to discover Finnish poster art," Vuong Duy Bien, vice minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told the opening ceremony.

The art of persuasion: A classic Finnish poster entitled Bil-aktie-Bol created in 1907 by artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela.

"It also contributes to increasing the friendship between the two countries."

The Lahti Poster Museum, established in 1975, was the first of its kind in Scandinavia and was a trailblazer. It has organised the Lahti International Poster Biennal, which will become a triennial. The museum now has an extensive collection of Finnish and international posters.

The show will run until Sunday in the National Library at 31 Trang Thi Street. It will then tour Hue, Da Nang, Thai Nguyen, Cao Bang, Buon Ma Thuot, Hai Phong, HCM City and Can Tho. — VNS