The Sound
Wes Wilson
American, 1937–2020
1966
A 1966 lithographic concert poster by Wes Wilson that uses hand-drawn, liquid lettering and a sinuous nude figure to translate the energy of psychedelic rock into a visual invitation.
The eye is seized by a huge, undulating purple title and a pale, stylized nude outlined in magenta, set against vibrating green and red-orange fields of warped, bubble-like type that seem to ripple and hum.
A landmark of 1960s psychedelic graphic design, it helped invent a visual language—distorted typography, clashing color, and flowing figuration—that made music visible and defined the era's concert-poster culture.
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
24 1/2 x 13 1/2" (62.2 x 34.3 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of the designer
Accession
1584.2000
Palette
Exhibitions
