Grateful Dead; Steve Miller Band; Moby Grape; Moscoso, Victor; Hillyard, Roger; Van Meter, Ben

Original Concert Poster: Grateful Dead, Steve Miller Band, Moby Grape (December 23-24, 1966)

San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Productions, 1966. First Edition. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 13&7/8" x 20") announcing a "Concert Dance" with performances headlined by the Grateful Dead, along with the Steve Miller Band & Moby Grape, during December 23-24 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. The great Spanish-American artist Victor Moscoso (b. 1936) created the artwork & graphics reproduced here, & "Moscoso" in facsimile cursive handwriting is found just outside dark red-brown border of image at white lower right side margin (see image). Also credited for "Lights" are Roger Hillyard & Ben van Meter. Hillyard (b. 1942) was highly involved with the exemplary psychedelic light shows of this era, later became the proprietor of a popular coffee shop & most lately the practicing resident of a Zen Buddhist center- all in San Francisco. Van Meter (b. 1941) was also a major light show producer & noted experimental filmmaker at this time, & still engages in cutting-edge creativity as of this writing. According to the Talmudic scholarship we have consulted regarding this poster (which is similar in its depth to our underground comix from this period), this copy is a first (& quite unusually only) official printing. King, FD-40-OP-1, pg. 95. King writes: "The central image is a circle filled with small triangles in front of which is a Santa Claus with small horns. It is noteworthy that the artist who created this poster, Victor Moscoso, refers to it as "The Satanic Santa." European Christmas tradition includes an evil character who brings bad things to bad children, and the drawing on this poster bears considerable resemblance to that character. The Family Dog did have radio ads for this concert promising a Hippie Santa Claus who said "Ho, Ho, Ho" in very hip voice, but Moscoso's poster came from a substantially different place." (pg. 95) Another iconic example of Moscoso's developing style & of the earlier psychedelic artworks that would soon come to full flower-power the following year during the "Summer of Love," in its rarest, singular contemporary form (before being much-reproduced as a bootleg). From the collection of Dion Wright (b. 1937), a most respected & prolific artiste & sculptor who was at the center of the scene that produced this & the many other riveting posters that symbolize a fabled time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5008). In our diligent (if dizzied), experienced estimation, this poster is in relatively very fine condition with only very slight rubbing, browning & faint creasing to mostly blank white margins/edges (bordered image appears bright & substantially mint); a touch of wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners; occasional tiny flecks of color esp. at lower left margin/edges/corner (undoubtedly a miniscule flaw as issued, as well as a sign of its letterpress authenticity). This item is too delicate to be rolled & must be shipped flat to assure no damage, therefore extra shipping costs will be required. Very Fine. [Item #5466]

Price: $1,500.00 save 10% $1,350.00