Expressobeans members have voted my Black Keys Philadelphia Poster of the Year 2014. I am very honored! Many thanks to all those who supported me through this very rewarding year! Your support, help, confidence and belief in my vision has given me strength. Your support has given me a deep appreciation of the simple grace a creative life can offer.
Edwardian Ball 2015
20 x 35
Edition of 125
3 colors on cream paper
Signed and Numbered
Sold Out – Thank You!
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It’s Edwardian Ball time again, and as always, it’s a great pleasure to work with Justin Katz, the Edwardian Ball impresario, and once again I had a lot of fun making this poster!
My Edwardian Ball posters always have an edge of social critique in them. They are done with a wink and a nod, in keeping with the enjoyment of attending such an elaborate period pageant.
Most of the attendees also realize that the Edwardian era was one of unabashed and ostentatious oligarchy, unrivaled economic imperialism and a presumed European superiority complex. It’s all of these things that makes the period so bizarre to us today. I’ve always endeavored to reveal this outrageous and bizarre sense of imperial entitlement in my Edwardian Ball posters, and keep them wild and fun.
My balance toward the subject, elicited a Jordanian princess and her French noble husband to buy and frame my Edwardian Ball poster from 2011. They invited me for drinks on one of my trips to France. As they explained to me, “You must understand, we are decedents of this world, and even we think this world is outdated and bizarre. I’m impressed how you balanced your view of it, to depict its elegance and outrageousness at the same time. It’s exactly the alienation we feel towards this past.”
I told them I was coming at the problem from the other direction, as a critique, and we laughed. I told them that I was still a warrior for the working class. Sometimes these worlds collide in rock and roll.
In this poster I depict King Edward VII, as a Masonic Zombie, supreme in his oligarchic entitlement, one hand on his sword (might at the ready) the other subduing his trained ape (the artist). The setting is British Imperial India, the colonies, and a map shows the imperial campaign: “Civilization” wages war against “Savages, Trolls, and The Great Unwashed.”
In this period of unfettered worldwide oligarchy, is it any wonder us apes are getting restless?
“Maia”
Edition of 150
23 x 32
7 colors on cream paper
Signed and Numbered
Paper prints: edition of 150
Paper variant prints (wave foil, silver, gold opal) : edition of 15 each
Wood panel variant: edition of 30
Available this weekend at the LA Art Show at the Spoke Art booth, #1131.
I am excited to announce my latest fine art screen print to be released exclusively through Spoke Art in the Littletopia section of the LA Art Show. Entitled “Maia,” this new piece in my ongoing Muses series, is inspired by the mother of Hermes, inventor of the lyre.
Leaf through the catalog below for more information on the LA Art Show:
Opening night reception: Saturday November 29th, 2014 (6PM- 10PM)
On view until: Saturday, December 20th, 2014
Spoke Art (816 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA)
Hashimoto Contemporary (804 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA)
Spoke Art and Hashimoto Contemporary are pleased to present Muses, a new solo exhibition featuring the work of San Francisco based print artist Chuck Sperry. Reigning over the gig poster scene for well over a decade, Chuck has pulled a plethora of ultra rarities from his archives and flat files. The show will be broken up into two parts, with a new body of work consisting of wood panels and paper editions at Spoke Art Gallery and an extensive retrospective on display just a few doors down at Hashimoto Contemporary.
After fifteen wildly successful years creating memorable gig posters and fine art work, Sperry ventures into this exhibition with momentous force. With a massive following of collectors and fans by his side, Chuck continues his on-going series of Muses, creating a new body of work that is as breathtaking as it is skillful. Playing off the classical greco-roman idea of “muse”, being a source of inspiration for all things art and music. Sperry’s figures are emblematic of the energetic creative spirit represented in his work and the bands he showcases. Influenced by the psychedelic art nouveau style, Chuck has propelled the American rock poster genre to a new level of fine art status with his print work. With impeccable precision, Sperry utilizes up to 9 color layers in his complex designs, the result is dazzling display of female figures enveloped in expressive patterns.
For his solo show at Spoke Art, Sperry will be presenting some of his most iconic images from his most famous gig posters on new oak panels. In addition to these revived classics, there will be one new paper edition print release, in congruence with the rest of the show. Just a few doors down at Hashimoto Contemporary, a sweeping museum-like display of Rock Poster history will be on view in the form of extremely rare gig posters from Chuck’s personal flat files, all custom-framed and fully archival.
Muses opens on Saturday November 29th from 6 to 10 pm. All sales will be conducted in a first come first serve manner with limits per collector. Complimentary beverages will be served and the artist will be in attendance.
Chuck Sperry lives in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, where he’s made his particular style of rock poster designs for over 20 years. He operates Hangar 18, a silkscreen print studio, located in Oakland. Learn More…
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