A rare music memorabilia printer’s proof lithograph on gold iridescent paper by graphic designer Stanley Mouse. Hand signed in pencil on the bottom right and annotated P/P on the bottom left. In the lower border of the print is the word “Sullivan” because the image of the skeleton wearing a crown of roses is originally by Art Nouveau illustrator Edmund Joseph Sullivan (1869-1933). The illustration was accompanied by the following poem: “Oh, come with Old Khayyam, and leave the Wise. To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies; One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies; The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.” Sullivan’s illustration was appropriated by Stanley Mouse in 1966 and was used for a Grateful Dead poster. The flower-crowned skull became not only the icon for the Grateful Dead but also a symbol of the ‘60s counterculture. This design is a quintessential example of Art Nouveau motifs used in rock & roll designs. An opportunity to own a piece of music history from an iconic poster.

From a private collection. Dimensions: 21.5” h x 11.75”w x .25”d (displayed in a simple poster frame). In very good vintage condition.

Stanley Mouse (1940- ) is an American artist who is notable for his 1960s psychedelic rock concert poster designs and album covers for the Grateful Dead, Journey, Janis Joplin, Steve Miller, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and the Beatles. He completed his education at Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts, which is now the College for Creative Studies and then moved to San Francisco. In 1965 Mouse met artist Alton Kelley and they became lifelong collaborators. The psychedelic posters Mouse and Kelley produced were heavily influenced by Art Nouveau graphics, particularly the works of Alphonse Mucha and Edmund Joseph Sullivan. In 1970, he had a major solo show at the Detroit Institute of Art and, since then, his posters have been shown in institutions around the world, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Boston Museum, the Louvre in Paris, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He lives and works in Sonoma County, CA.