Bill Graham Presents #280

Name/Title

Bill Graham Presents #280

Type of Print

Lithograph

Collection

Rock Posters Collection

Made/Created

Artist

Singer, David

Manufacturer

Tea Lautrec Litho

Date made

1971

Notes

Date: 11/032009 Artist's Gender: M

Dimensions

Height

21 in

Width

14 in

Copyright

Copyright Holder

Graham, Bill

Copyright Date

1971

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Artist Bio

Label

After leaving the Navy and settling in San Francisco, David Singer supported himself with odd jobs and began experimenting with graphic art and collage. In 1968, he was encouraged by a fellow poster artist to visit the office of Bill Graham, the director of the Fillmore West concert venue, where he was offered a job. Singer’s work was a significant shift from the work of previous artists because his designs were more simple and readable, incorporating collage techniques and surrealist influences. Of all the artists, Singer produced the largest body of work for the Fillmore, creating sixty posters between 1969 and 1971.

Label Type

Object Label

Label

In his initial interview with Bill Graham, Graham asked Singer if he could do lettering. Singer said, “Sure,” even though he had no experience. He figured it out, and Graham immediately liked his style because it was easy to read. At this point, the novelty of barely-readable typography had worn off and people were ready for something new. The lettering on this poster is reminiscent of "chop suey" fonts, which are stereotypically associated with Asian cultures.