It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art’s The Art of the Music Poster of the 60s and 70s, an exhibition that includes posters of such musical icons as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Kiss, The Who, Rod Stewart, Elvis, Jimi Hendrix and The Clash. This selection of the Museum’s Mark del Costello Collection of 426 offset lithographs represents a brief history of American graphic design, the rise of popular culture imagery, and the advent of counterculture movements of the mid 60s and 70s.

The exhibition is truly a step back in time. It is a little bit punk, a little bit psychedelic, and a whole lot rock and roll. From Hall of Fame punkers the Ramones to quintessential avant-garde musicians Pink Floyd, this part of the Museum’s collection includes some of the finest examples of poster art ever to grace concert halls or bedroom walls. At the same time, the collection challenges the viewer to understand the reappearance and discussions of Synesthesia, the joining of the five senses and studies of sensory integration from visual to auditory. Originally a 19th century spiritual movement relating emotions to auras, these discussions contributed to the late 19th century artistic movements in Abstraction, Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, Viennese Secessionism and Surrealism and in turn became the stylistic foundations of graphic art movements of the 60s and 70s.

Special recognition is given to our members of our Directors Circle, Museum Associates, and Exhibition Patrons, who continue to generously give of their time and financial support to make these exhibitions possible. In addition, our gratitude is extended to Mark del Costello, who donated his collection of off-set lithographs and paper ephemeral of the 20th century to the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. Museum fine arts curator Dr. Graziella Marchicelli, who has curated an exhibition that will forever tell the tales of two decades of great music, graphics, and design, deserves great acknowledgment for her creation of the theme and the well developed content.

Michael A. Tomor, Ph.D.

Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art

Executive Director