High Art: A History of the Psychedelic Poster [Paperback]

Ted Owen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 1999

Sixties psychedelic poster art has stretched beyond the ephemeral and functional nature of its design to become highly collectable and internationally recognized. High Art explores both the creation of psychedelia and the imagery born of this movement. It covers the Avalon and Fillmore ballrooms who commissioned the art, the UFO Club in London and features leading American artists, profiles of British artists and it describes the collectors' experience.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

No matter how high the hippies got, most had to come back to earth, cut their hair, get jobs, and "sell out" their counterculture. High Art flashes back to when love and LSD were free and psychedelic posters were not bankable art. The boldly and beautifully colored reproductions do the mystic and merry tripper's visions justice; however, after an insightful introduction to the social and political climate of the 1960s and the poster artists' influences, the written content of this book wavers. For the profiles of American poster artists and the rock venues and promoters that employed them, the authors reprinted deep but sometimes outdated pieces from the 1976 exhibition catalog San Francisco Rock Poster Art by historian Walter Medeiros. Their original coverage of the British scene with direct quotes from the artists is more engaging. Why psychedelic art blacked out in the 1980s and soared in popularity in the mid- and late 1990s is not explored either. Recommended where demand warrants.AHeather McCormack, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Sanctuary Publishing; First Edition edition (June 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860742564
• ISBN-13: 978-1860742569
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 0.5 x 12 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #883,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High Art: A History of the Psychedelic Poster, June 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: High Art: A History of the Psychedelic Poster (Paperback)

A highly informative book with beautiful graphics for those interested in vintage posters of the 60's or graphic arts or typology. Detailed information on the individual artists such as Victor Moscoco, Stanley Mouse, Randy Tuten, and my favorite but more obscure Bonnie MacLean who was a Fillmore staff member responsible for the chalkboard announcements at that venue. Includes American and British Artists. The unique use of color and fonts, which were influenced by the Victorian and Art Nouveau era makes this a must buy for art, graphics, and design students and vintage poster collectors. And if you grew up in the 60's like me, this book is a bit of nostalgia that shows that the art work was really well executed even under the influence....

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Far out but not Outtasight!!!, March 2, 2003

By 

Mendicant Pigeon "Mendicant Pigeon" (pdx, or United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: High Art: A History of the Psychedelic Poster (Paperback)

First off, fair warning: If you think you might like to own this book then you should buy it now as this is a highly collectable book. Essentially, this is a survey of the 1960's era psychedelic concert/venue poster genre that sprang up in San Francisco before spreading throughout the USA and the world in the form of the 'black light' poster.
The author, a British music promoter who became a poster art aficionado, has done a good job of describing the development and rise of the genre as well as tying it into the overall history of the advertising art poster beginning in the 'Belle Epoque.' Within chapters, he singles out artists and their work and places them in the context of the movement. The national origin of the author is a factor here as it is obvious that the author has personal relationships with and has a more intimate knowledge of the British poster artists and art scene than he has with those of the American scene. Still, he does a more than adequate job covering the domestic American scene. This book weighs a ton because of the excellent, thick, paper stock it is printed on and because the English printer used lavish amounts of eyepopping brightly colored ink in its printing. As a sidenote, there is a fascinating section on acid blotter paper art with accompanying photographs, and a section on collecting psychedelic posters. PLUS, to get one's collection going, new copies of the book include a coupon for a complimentary psychedelic poster from Alan Forbes and the San Francisco Art Lab.
I rate this book only four stars because 1) due to its highly collectible nature, it should have been published in hardback also. 2) The author cites some work by an artist and then fails to picture/identify it. 3) This topic begs for a book at least twice a long as it is.
Still, I am quite certain that any purchaser will be more than happy with it.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Groovy, Dude!, December 19, 2002

By 

H. Row "in1ear" (Arvada, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: High Art: A History of the Psychedelic Poster (Paperback)

Ah, the nostalgia this book brings back. Not only the beautiful art work, but the musical groups, the "High" Priests and Priestesses of the era - Tim Leary, Grace Slick, etc. I thought it was interesting that this style of Art poster is making a comeback! Check out the last few pages with posters for Soundgarden, Hole, Beastie Boys and TOM JONES!!!
High quality printing and paper. A certificate for a LImited Edition Poster is included.
One of the books authors, Ted Owen, was involved in the music scene of the era. He helped discover groups like The Pretenders, Adam & The Ants and The Cure.
PEACE, BRO(...)
The history of the poster ranges from Euro influences through the concurrent American masters.