12de Amsterdamse 6-daagse – 2004 Amsterdam Six Day

Two track cyclists race shoulder to shoulder in this wonderfully bold poster for the 2004 Amsterdam Six-Day. Rendered in brilliant yellow, red, dark blue and white, the riders lean forward over their handlebars as broad, painterly strokes around the wheels create a convincing sense of speed. Behind them, an enormous blue numeral “6” sweeps through the composition, its rounded form also suggesting the curve of the velodrome track. Oversized red lettering completes a powerful design that combines energetic racing imagery, giving this poster a fantastic look.

The Amsterdam Six-Day dates back to 1932, when the inaugural race was held on a 166.6-meter track inside Amsterdam’s old RAI exhibition building. Dutch stars Jan Pijnenburg and Piet van Kempen won that first edition. Four races were held between 1932 and 1936, followed by another four at the new RAI between 1966 and 1969. After a long absence, the race returned in 2001 at the Amsterdam Velodrome, a 2,000-seat arena with a 200-meter track. The event continued through 2016, completing 23 editions in total.

This poster advertises the 12th Amsterdam Six-Day, held at the Amsterdam Velodrome from October 18–23, 2004. The 2004 race brought together 13 two-rider teams, and defending champions Robert Slippens and Danny Stam of the Netherlands won. They finished with 397 points, ahead of Swiss riders Bruno Risi and Kurt Betschart, who remained on the same lap with 302 points. Scott McGrory of Australia and Franco Marvulli of Switzerland placed third, one lap behind with 379 points. Slippens and Stam reinforced their overall victory by winning the final 45-minute Madison as well as the one-lap and three-lap team time trials on the closing evening.

The supporting program included the Grand Prix Jan Derksen sprint competition, featuring reigning world sprint champion and Athens Olympic silver medalist Theo Bos. The six-night program also included an international under-23 Madison competition and a three-day junior event.

The artwork is signed in the upper left by Dutch artist Kees van der Laan. Born in Rotterdam in 1903, Van der Laan was a painter, sculptor and commercial artist best known for the dynamic posters he produced during the 1930s for the Dutch Railways, KLM, the National Aviation School, the Zeeland Steamship Company and Ford. His strong geometric compositions and unusual perspectives reflected the influence of the great French poster designer A.M. Cassandre.

Van der Laan died in 1983, so the artwork was not newly created for the 2004 race. This poster adapts an earlier Van der Laan composition, combining its original interwar-style imagery and typography with the 2004 dates, Amsterdam Velodrome identification, and contemporary sponsor information. The old-fashioned wording De geheele hal is verwarmd—“The entire hall is heated”—and Van alle plaatsen goed te volgen—“Clearly visible from every seat”—further preserve the historic character of the design.

Combining a genuine 2004 sporting event with the work of one of the Netherlands’ important interwar commercial artists, this poster brings together two distinct periods of Dutch cycling history. Its sweeping movement, vivid palette and bold typography make it as much a celebration of classic European poster design as an advertisement for the Amsterdam Six-Day.

This poster has been professionally and archivally linen-backed.

Virtually all original vintage posters of this era were viewed as temporary advertising and were printed on fragile, thin paper. While expensive, linen backing is a conservation method used to mount, stabilize, preserve, and protect vintage posters, allowing them to be displayed or framed without compromising their value.

This poster is an original first printing, not a reproduction.