Chuck Sperry

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Sperry Enters Permanent Collection of SFMOMA

Clockwise from top left: Bob Dylan, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros,
The Black Keys and Power to the Peaceful by Chuck Sperry

I’m very proud to announce that San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has acquired a selection of my concert posters for its permanent collection. The museum will include my work in its upcoming exhibition Art of Noise opening May 4, 2024. This exhibit should not be missed! It is a must-visit for every poster fan, all my friends, and supporters!

Here, briefly what the museum says about the exhibition:

Music is amplified by great design, from the concert posters that paper bedroom walls to the Sony Walkmans and Apple iPods once carried in our pockets. Through over 800 works, Art of Noise explores this essential relationship and the ground-breaking designs that enrich our collective memory, touching all our lives and giving form and color to sound. Heavily drawn from SFMOMA’s collection, the works on view include over 500 concert posters and flyers, 150 record album covers, 100 design objects, and three sound installations that chart the evolution of music-centered design over the past 100 years. Enter the exhibition’s “temple” to music graphics where hundreds of psychedelic rock posters extend from floor to ceiling, highlighting San Francisco’s integral role in the 1960s and ‘70s scene and the artwork that turned it up.

You can learn more about this amazing exhibition by following the link below.

Art of Noise is organized by SFMOMA and curated by Joseph Becker, associate curator of architecture and design, with Divya Saraf, curatorial assistant in architecture and design.

Art of Noise • May 4 – August 18, 2024
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 
151 Third Street • San Francisco, CA 94103

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The Pioneer: Protest Posters From 1960s to Present Exhibited at SFMOMA by Shoib Ahmadzai

Protest posters from 1960s to present exhibited at SFMOMA
Political posters at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

From The Pioneer: Protest Posters From 1960s to Present Exhibited at SFMOMA by Shoib Ahmadzai

Social justice political posters from the 1960s to present day, including those relating to the Black Panthers and Black Lives Matter, are on display at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).

“I really like the juxtaposition of the old and the new posters,” stated Yagna Madala, a Los Angeles resident and modern art fan who visited San Francisco for a vacation.

The exhibit comes at a time of growing political tension in the country which has promoted a deep divide between both political parties on issues such as the rescindment of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), social activist movements such as Black Lives Matter and increased hostilities with North Korea.

Various anti-war, Black Panthers rally, anti-Nazi and pro-free speech posters decorate the glass protected wall in this exhibit, titled “Get with the Action.” It started on Sept. 16 and is scheduled to continue until spring 2018.

The exhibit, located in a small room on the third floor, stands out from the regular photography art displays. According to Ian Wagner, a museum visitor experience assistant at the MOMA, it is one of the most popular exhibits on the floor.

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This is OUR CITY and we can SHUT IT DOWN, Chuck Sperry, 2011.

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Sperry in “Get with the Action” Exhibit at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

SFMOMA Chuck Sperry

I am very proud my poster “This Is Our City And We Can Shut It Down” is now being exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Get with the Action
Political Posters from the 1960s to Now
September 16, 2017–Spring 2018

Bursting into the public realm in the mid-1960s, the protest poster has been used all over the world to incite change and empower the voice of the people. This exhibition presents the political poster as a powerful tool for organizing and activating communities in response to some of the most pressing issues over the past 50 years, from the Civil Rights and Anti-War movements to social justice, immigration, environmental causes, and more.

Get with the Action, a title taken from a screenprint by the artist and progressive activist nun Corita Kent, explores the medium of the poster as a communication device — one intended to be publically displayed, produced en masse, and often ephemeral — to inform and energize a wide audience. The works on view, focused on the creative output of the Bay Area and beyond, highlight the power of applied graphic design and its utility in presenting information while rallying citizens around a cause.

Curated in three rotations over six months, each presentation of Get with the Action calls attention to SFMOMA’s commitment to graphic design and to the continually relevant, if not urgent, movements of our time.

Read more about Chuck Sperry & his newest art book here

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Sperry Books: “Color x Color” • “Helikon” • “Chthoneon” • “Idyllion”

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