Label Type
Artist BioLabel
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
Object LabelLabel
One of Wilson’s greatest artistic influences was the Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th and early 20th century. Some of the key features of the Art Nouveau style are women with long flowing hair and organic, S-curve shapes. These elements are clear in Wilson’s representation of a nude, dancing woman. This 1966 handbill also shows how Wilson’s portrayal of the nude female form deviates from previous eras of art history. Inspired by his wife Eva, he wanted to portray nude women as powerful and free, dancing unabashedly along to the music.