Sold For $1,059
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Sought-after original complete color poster set of Richard Avedon’s classic psychedelic portraits of the Beatles, each 18.75 x 27, printed by the Populare Propaganda Presse (PPP) in Düssedorf for Stern Magazine, Germany. In 1967, Beatles Manager Brian Epstein commissioned fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon to shoot the band members and design a set of posters that would visually capture the new psychedelic direction of the Beatles’ music. Avedon took several shots of the group on August 11, 1967, four of which were later adorned with psychedelic effects. Avedon overlaid the solarized prints with Day-Glo colors and symbolic attributes, and the portraits were entitled ‘Flame Bright John,’ ‘Flower Power Paul,’ ‘Mystic George,’ and ‘Dove Loving Ringo.’ Completing the set is an original PPP ‘Mount Rushmore’ panoramic poster of the Beatles, 39.75 x 14.5, a collage of four separate photographs that captures the Fab Four in a more formal pose. Rolled and in overall fine condition, with trivial edgewear to the Starr poster, and a few light creases to the 'Rushmore' poster.
These Avedon posters were first published in the January 9, 1968, edition of Look Magazine in the U.S., and were also offered for sale in Stern Magazine in Germany, The Daily Express in England, and Varagids in Holland. Given the thin paper on which they were printed, and how the vast majority of these posters were displayed on walls via tacks or tape, original Avedon-Beatles posters are rarely found in such condition; the Stern set was also sold at newsstands, rolled and wrapped in plastic. These posters have become seminal images of the late 1960s, transcending the world of music memorabilia and appealing to collectors of art and design alike.
