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21.
A poster designed by Alan Aldridge for a screening of ‘The Chelsea Girls’ at the Arts Lab, October 16th-19th, 1968.
Offset, b/w. 76x50.5cm.
The poster was held up due to the objections of numerous printers, who feared an obscenity bust, and wasn’t ready in time for the screening, so the Arts Lab hurriedly produced a design by Biddy Peppin instead. When Aldridge found a printer willing to undertake the work (the Charles Christopher Press), it was too late, but his design still won him a Silver Award from the Design and Art Directors Club (and a warrant of arrest for pornography charges after it was flyposted around the West End).
The edition here, generally considered to be the second printing, with marginally different typesetting from the first (now virtually unobtainable) printing, was published in 1970 by Motif Editions and printed at the Shenval Press in Harlow, Essex.
The Arts Lab was the first venue in England to show uncut versions of Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey’s 2-screen film (in August 1968, see item #16). Made in 1966 and with sections featuring music by the Velvet Underground, it followed the lives of several young women at the Hotel Chelsea and starred Ingrid Superstar, Marie Menken, International Velvet, Mary Woronov, Gerard Malanga and Ondine, among others.
Informed by the work of Escher and Magritte, Aldridge’s poster design for it, commissioned at Warhol’s request, features a nude photograph by Don Silverstein of 16-year-old actress, Clare Shenstone. When he first saw the image, Warhol reputedly rang Aldridge to say he wished the movie was as good as the poster.
Slight wear to upper right edge; professionally repaired and now unobtrusive 5cm. tear to lower edge; slight discolouration/spotting to upper edge of verso; otherwise a Near Fine copy of this classic and much sought-after poster.
