Vintage c1970 Jan Pienkowski Sunflower Lithographic Print Gallery Five England Framed

This is a vintage Jan Pieńkowski “Sunflower” lithographic print, produced by Gallery Five and printed in England, dating to circa 1970.

The colourful design depicts two children seated among oversized flowers and leaves, dominated by a large yellow sunflower. The composition has the bold black outlines, stylized figures and strong colours characteristic of Pieńkowski’s early graphic work.

The image was commercially produced using a four-colour lithographic printing process, with the characteristic halftone dot pattern visible under close examination.

The lower edge is printed:

© GALLERY FIVE Q12/IH Sunflower designed by Jan Pienkowski printed in England

An example of “Sunflower” is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which dates the design to circa 1970.

Polish-born British artist and illustrator Jan Pieńkowski (1936–2022) was a co-founder of Gallery Five, established in London around 1960 to produce and distribute greeting cards, posters and other graphic designs. He subsequently became particularly well known for his children's book illustration and design, including his work with Helen Nicoll on the Meg and Mog series.

The print is presented in a vintage red-painted wooden frame. The reverse retains an old framing label from Van Horne Glass & Mirror Inc., 1335 Van Horne Ave. W., indicating that it was framed in Montreal.

Display area: 16 3/4" × 19".
Overall framed size: 18 1/4" × 20 1/4".
Designer: Jan Pieńkowski.
Title: Sunflower.
Publisher: Gallery Five.
Reference: Q12/IH.
Printing process: Four-colour lithographic process.
Origin: Printed in England.
Date: Circa 1970.

Condition: The print is in fair to good vintage condition with noticeable surface wear. There are scattered scratches, scuffs and small marks, including more pronounced scratching in the upper right background and a long fine diagonal scratch across part of the image. The red-painted wooden frame has scattered scratches and paint loss. The paper backing on the reverse is torn and deteriorated in several areas. Please examine the photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.

An uncommon surviving example of Jan Pieńkowski’s early Gallery Five work, with an example of the same Sunflower design represented in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Sold in “as found” condition, the damage should be forgiven, given the rarity of surviving examples…..