With concert venues shuttered during shelter-in-place, it’s impossible not to miss everything about live music. The bands, the crowd camaraderie, the merch andâparticularly for Fillmore regularsâthe poster art.
The release of Chuck Sperry‘s new book is a perfectly timed pick-me-up, then. Color x Color gathers together more than 800 pieces of work by the San Francisco artist, including the wealth of music posters he’s created over the years for the likes of Pearl Jam, the Black Keys, The Who and, yes, The Fillmore.
Chuck Sperry, 2011.
Naturally, Sperry’s retrospective also includes his powerful political work, like his posters for Earth Day and the Women’s March, as well as the banner (pictured at right) that he made for the Occupy movement. It was the image protesters were carrying when Occupy shut down the Port of Oakland in 2011. Sperry printed and distributed 1,500 of the posters himselfâa move characteristic of his DIY sensibilities and passion for grassroots movements.
In a 2013 interview, Perry said: âI feel like I can take unexpressed ideas and express them in art. And maybe make something that helps people move from Point A to Point B.” There’s a good chance this collection will help music and art lovers through shelter-in-place too.
Color x Color will be available May 15 through Sperry’s site.
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