First Edition Flying Eyball Jimi Hendrix Concert at The Fillmore Poster, San Francisco, 1968
ABOUT
First edition. Jimi Hendrix Flying Eyeball concert poster, 1968 BG-105: "Flying Eyeball", first printing, Bill Graham Presents Jimi Hendrix Experience, John Mayall, and Albert King at the Fillmore Auditorium & Winterland, February 1 & 4, 1968. Artwork by Rick Griffin. Printed on uncoated index card stock. In first editions, the number “105” is placed so that the “0” is overprinted by the “i” in “Tickets.”
- CREATOR Rick Griffin.
- DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1968.
- MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Cardstock Paper, Metal, Glass.
- CONDITION Good. Minor wear consistent with age and use. Holes each corner. Wear to each corner. Framed.
- DIMENSIONS Frame: H 26.75 in. W 19 in. D 1 in., Poster: H 21.25 in. W 14 in.
HISTORY
Over fifty years ago, Rick Griffin produced his epic poster masterpiece of symbolic iconography, "The Flying Eyeball", in a burst of inspiration. The image has arguably become the most recognizable and evocative image of the psychedelic 60s, being to Psychedelic Art what Warhol's soup tin is to Pop Art - an instant identifier for the age of Acid Rock.
The Winged Eye symbol has its origins in antiquity, appearing in the art of the Egyptians and Assyrians. Rick particularly venerated the late 1950s' version, that of famed lowbrow artist Von Dutch, whose interpretation resonated with the roots of hot-rod culture, so central to Rick's Southern California upbringing. Von's Flying Eye was stylistically informed by traditional American tattooing and car culture, and he may also have been exposed to this image as nose art on WWII USAAF airplanes, an art form that influenced decorative automobile art in the post-war period. Rick would also have been aware of the esoteric traditions and origins of the Eye In The Sky, aka The Sun Disc or God's Eye, the all-seeing eye that burns through the clouds of Illusion. As a visual pun it also represents the self (the 'I'), as well as the personal power that comes with spiritual awareness. With added wings, it evokes the effect that LSD had on the visual field, part of the expanded state of consciousness that many were experiencing at that time.
