Dresden shows historical AIDS posters: A contemporary testimony from back then!

Dresden shows historical AIDS posters: A contemporary testimony from back then!

The AIDS campaign of the 1980s is now receiving new attention at the German Hygiene Museum in Dresden. Petra Stricker and Gilbert Baier from Formart Culture in Mörsbach have brought two original posters from this important time to the museum. These posters, which were originally created at the initiative of the then Saarland Minister for Labor, Health and Social Affairs, are part of an important awareness campaign that was carried out between 1987 and 1990, when awareness of the dangerous disease was still emerging. Weekly Mirror reports that the museum was particularly interested in a poster with the motivating phrase “Whatever loves itself protects itself.”

The museum's request came in May and was based on the fact that the posters had come into their possession through unknown means. Gilbert Baier kept the necessary documents in a proper archive, which the couple delivered personally on June 24, 2025. The documents were given on permanent loan to the museum, which is one of the leading institutions in the world when it comes to collecting AIDS posters. Over 12,000 international posters from around 150 countries are gathered here, which underlines the importance of this topic.

A contemporary document of the Enlightenment

The design of the poster with the distinctive rubber hearts was created by photo artist Detlef W. Schmalow and is considered the central visual language of the campaign. “What loves itself protects itself” was created by Gilbert E. Baier and was the guiding principle that succinctly summarized the message of the educational work at the time. In order to promote the increased spread of the message, flyers and other advertising materials were developed after the posters.

The Baier couple are proud that their poster is now part of this permanent exhibition. They see their work not only as an important element of the way of communication at the time, but also as an important contemporary document for future generations. It is a sign of how important preventive measures in dealing with AIDS were then and continue to be.

AIDS as a global issue

The topic of AIDS has not lost its importance over the decades and is considered a global media event. This topic is comprehensively covered in the collection of the German Hygiene Museum. In addition to the posters, the museum also offers many other information materials that document the development of education in connection with AIDS. Further information can be found on the museum's website dhmd.de be retrieved.