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When the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco came under the direction of Bill Graham in 1965, Graham approached Wes Wilson to design the posters and handbills for shows and events. They met while Wilson was working at a small press operation that created promotional handbills for another project Graham was involved with. Working for Graham, Wilson helped develop an art style that perfectly encapsulated the psychedelic experience. Swirling, exaggerated typography and vivid colors immediately called out to the community that Graham wanted at his dance concerts. Wilson’s style is heavily influenced by the Art Nouveau movement: graceful lines, beautifully contrasting colors and women with flowing hair dominate his designs.Label Type
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In 1967, Wilson cut ties with Bill Graham because of disagreements about payment. This design, the last of his early work for the Fillmore–which SUMA possesses in handbill format–caricatures Graham as a snake with a dollar sign on its nose and a swastika on its head. Graham, a Jewish-German immigrant who survived the Holocaust as a child, fired Wilson immediately.