Abdera. Polish biweekly art and satire magazine

Henryk Kunzek (1870–1928), draughtsman, painter and sculptor; physician by education. While working as a doctor in Lviv, he studied painting in the school of Stanisław Batowski-Kaczor (1866–1946), he also got his education in Paris and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. Illustrator for the magazines "Naprzód" [Ahead], "Kropidło" [Aspergillum], "Nasz Kraj" [Our Country] and "Abdera", as well as author of stage designs and puppets for the Zielony Balonik [Green Balloon] cabaret. Co-founder of the "Warsztaty Krakowskie" [Cracow Workshops] association (1913).

The work advertises the "Abdera" biweekly magazine published in Cracow in the years 1911–1912. The magazine's artistic-satiric profile got accurately reflected by the poster's concept alluding to Christoph Martin Wieland’s satirical novel Geschichte der Abderiten.

It tells the story of a grotesque event taking place in the city of Abdera, during which its inhabitants get entangled in quarrels about... the fee for taking a rest in the donkey's shadow, showing a display of stupidity and stubbornness that finally leads to animal's tragic death. Afterwards, they put up a memorial in his honour. The artist depicts a gigantic donkey wearing a laurel wreath, with a laurel branch attached to his tail, victoriously dominating over the city.