Picture special: London 2012 posters revealed

London 2012 organisers unveil the 12 posters designed for next summer's Olympics and Paralympics

By Sportsbeat Friday 4 November 2011, 23:59 UK @sportsbeat

British artist Tracey Emin at the unveiling of the London 2012 poster collection Photo: Locog/Getty Images

Tracey Emin

London 2012 organisers have unveiled the 12 official posters for next year’s Games.

The collection, which has been commissioned from some of Britain’s best known artists, is now on show at the Tate Britain gallery and available to buy as posters and limited edition prints.

The series showcase a wide variety of artistic styles and couldn’t be more different from the 1948 Olympic poster – a simple image of a discus thrower from Ancient Greece set against the backdrop of London’s most recognisable landmark, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.

Six of the posters have been designed for the Olympics and six for the Paralympics and the cast of artists include four former winners of the Turner Prize.

A set of the images has been given the Queen for the Royal Collection and they will also be displayed prominently in Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s residence, throughout 2012.