Every World Cup has had its own offering of commercial’s, advertising hoardings and merchandise. But there is one World Cup, that for us at least, stands head and shoulders above the World Cup’s both before and after. And that is the prints of the 1982 World Cup.

A set of ten prints, each commissioned to different artists from around the world, to showcase the diversity of cultures set to be on display at the 1982 Copa Del Mundo. But here’s the twist in the tale, they were scandalously, (to our knowledge at least) never used.

Why? Well, the story goes they were simply not accepted by the event organisers and ended up being buried in a warehouse somewhere in Spain until their discovery. Like a sort of, low budget Indiana Jones, piece to the puzzle for the wider tale, … sort of film.

But until now, little has been written about the artists who created these masterpieces, never to be seen by the general public of 1982. Each artists piece, carefully selected to produce one standalone piece, for each city/region of Spain. Showcasing their unique style to create a visual representation of the place carefully selected for each of them.

Anyway, as we're stocking eight of the finest from the series of ten, let us tell you a little bit about each of the artists behind the works. Because let's face it, these World Cup prints are not your average offerings for tournament promotion.  

 

ESPAÑA

Artist: Joan Miro

 

 

Spanish painter and sculptor born in Barcelona in 1893, He asserted himself through different mediums such as painting, collage, lithography, etching and ceramics. Miró discovered cubism and fauvism in Paris from 1920, where he met Pablo Picasso, André Masson both Dadaïst members, before he became a member of surrealism movement.

 

 

He completed one of his most famous works “Constellations" in 1940/41 whilst at the Palma de Mallorca where he stayed until 1956. When the commissioners for this poster needed a lead, Joan Miro was their standout choice.

 

 

Buy the España print here.

 

SEVILLA

Artist: Antonio Saura

 

 
Antonio Saura Atarés was a Spanish artist and writer, one of the major post-war painters to emerge in Spain in the fifties.

 

He began painting and writing in 1947 in Madrid while suffering from tuberculosis, having already been confined to his bed for five years. Dreamlike and surreal characters along with imaginary landscapes. Who knows if Saura was even given a brief for this one, or whether he simply let his own dreams takeover when it came to creating this masterpiece.

 

 

Buy the Sevilla print here.

 

MÁLAGA

Illustrator: Roland Topor

 

 

A French illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist, painter, novelist, playwright, film and TV writer, filmmaker and actor. The night before he died of a cerebral hemorrhage, it is reported that he couldn't sleep, and instead spent the night visiting Parisian cafes, enjoying Cuban cigars, and drinking Bordeaux wine. What a guy!

 

 

Roland Topor may be best known for his graphic works with their surrealist humour. His artworks have appeared in books, newspapers, posters, and film animations. Málaga was his brief – and oh boy did he create a great in his offering.

 

 

Buy the Málaga print here.

 

Zaragoza

Artist: Jean-Michel Folon

 

 

A Belgian artist, illustrator, painter, and sculptor, who had his work exhibited all over the world. From New York, Tokyo and Milan. Over the years Folon concentrated on different techniques, including watercolour, etching, silkscreen, illustrations, mosaics, and stained glass, which showed the diversity of his art. 

 

 

His artistic value was recognised by several exhibitions organised in the most famous galleries and museums in the world, but his inclusion in this print series was arguably his greatest accomplishment in our opinion. But then we’re biased obviously.

 

Buy the Zaragoza print here.

 

ELCHE

Artist: Jiri Kolář

 

 

Kolar started his early life as a cabinet maker (which cost him a finger). He later changed trades several times, working as a construction worker, security guard, and bartender, among other jobs. But by 1943 he'd really found his feet as a writer.

 

 

It wasn't until the 1960s that Kolář started to combine painting and poetry, eventually switching entirely to visual art. His collages were intended to influence the viewer's outlook on life; the destruction and fragmentation of the world... Cheery don't you think? Lucky for us, Jiri put his rather gloomy opinion of the world to one side for his offering of works.

 

 

Buy the Elche print here.

 

BARCELONA

Artist: Antoni Tapies

 

 

His exploration of Surrealist imagery early in his career served as the foundation for an ongoing investigation into the nature of physical objects and their materiality.

Quite how this resulted in him becoming the choice for Barcelona's piece we'll never know. But rest assured, we love his offering. It has a somewhat Japanese psychopathic qulaity to it, and we can appreciate that.

 

 

Buy the Barcelona print here.

 

ALICANTE

Artist: Pierre Alenchinsky

 

 

A Belgian artist who studied illustration techniques, printing and photography. He was also a lover of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy. In the early 1950s he was the Paris correspondent for the Japanese journal Bokubi (the Beauty of Ink).

 

 

Anyway, his international career continued throughout the seventies and by 1983 he became Professor of painting at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris. We like to think it was here that someone had the bright idea to get Pierre involved, resulting in the masterpiece you now see today, which is his offering for Alicante.

 

 

Buy the Alicante print here.

 

 

VALENCIA

Artist: Valerio Adami

 

 

An Italian painter. Educated at the Accademia di Brera in Milan, he has since worked in both London and Paris.

His art is influenced by Pop Art. In his early career, Adami's works were expressionistic, but by the time of his second exhibition in 1964 at Kassel, he had developed a style of painting reminiscent of French cloisonnism, featuring regions of flat colour bordered by black lines. In 2010, the Boca Raton Museum of Art devoted a special exhibit to Adami's paintings and drawings.

 

 

Buy the Valencia print here.

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So, there you have it – the artists behind the works of possibly World Football's greatest ever lost art. You can grab your piece of history here.