Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol 1966 The Trip, Los Angeles Concert Poster Graded 9.8 (AOR-3.56)....

Description

THE NEW SHRINE OF POP CULTURE... POSTERS, AND IN 9.8

Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol 1966 The Trip, Los Angeles Concert Poster Graded 9.8 (AOR-3.56). An original silkscreened advertising window card for two weeks of The Velvet Underground and Nico plus a wild multi-media party dubbed the "Plastic Inevitable Show," presented by pop-culture icon Andy Warhol. The event was scheduled to take place at the short-lived Trip nightclub, "the New Shrine of Pop Culture," on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA, on the advertised dates of May 3-18, 1966 (although the cops stopped it after three nights). This poster was graded a head-turning 9.8 Near Mint/Mint by CGC (the Certified Guaranty Company), a great investment grade for such a highly in-demand piece.

This poster's dramatically cool artwork makes it extremely popular with collectors. It features a reproduction of artwork by Roy Lichtenstein (a legend in his own right) as illustrated on the cover of Newsweek magazine from April 25, 1966. The poster also displays Warhol's Campbell Soup Kids in the lower right corner, and some intriguing press quotes from The New York Times, Time magazine, Newsweek and even Warhol himself.

A highly desirable poster sought by collectors of both rock music and Pop Art, last year it realized $45,000 for Heritage in a grade of 9.6. This, of course, is one step better, and now we can't imagine a better grade ever coming along. Measures 14" x 22" and grades to 9.8 Near Mint/Mint. From the David Swartz Concert Poster Collection. COA from Heritage Auctions.

Literature: See Grushkin, Paul, The Art of Rock Posters from Presley to Punk, Abbeville Press, New York, 1987, p.271 (illus.).

More Information: The Velvets were supported by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention and accompanied by members of Warhol's entourage. Although scheduled for a two-week residency, the shows ground to a halt after just three nights when the Sheriff's Department closed the club down. Nonetheless, numerous stars were spotted in the audience on May 3-5, including Sonny and Cher, Jack Nicholson, Jim Morrison and Ryan O'Neal.

Warhol and his cadre called this series of events "The Exploding Plastic Inevitable Show," while sometimes excluding the word "Exploding," as in this case. They were truly multi-media extravaganzas, similar to the Acid Tests thrown by Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters. Members of Warhol's entourage taking part included Edie Sedgwick, Gerard Malanga and Mary Woronov. The whole thing was Andy's brainchild, combining performances by the Velvet Underground and Nico (a year before their debut album was released) with light shows, dancing and Warhol-produced films.


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