Wes Wilson

Robert Wesley Wilson (July 15, 1937 – January 24, 2020) was an American artist and one of the leading designers of psychedelic posters. Best known for designing posters for Bill Graham of The Fillmore in San Francisco, he invented a style that is now synonymous with the peace movement, the psychedelic era and the 1960s. In particular, he was known for inventing and popularizing a "psychedelic" font around 1966 that made the letters look like they were moving or melting.

His style was heavily influenced by the Art Nouveau movement. Wilson was considered to be one of "The Big Five" San Francisco poster artists, along with Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso, Rick Griffin, and Stanley Mouse.

Early life and education Robert Wesley Wilson was born on July 15, 1937, in Sacramento, California. The Vietnam War protest poster was designed, self-printed, and sold by Wilson and portrayed a swastika imprinted with an American flag design. Said Wilson, "I just put it out there to stir people up to thinking about things." The poster caught the attention of rock promoter Chet Helms, who commissioned Wilson to design handbills for Family Dog.

Style and impact According to the News-Leader in 2006, "historians, journalists and fellow artists credit Wilson with launching an entire art movement — and the fluid block lettering style that became synonymous with the '60s — as the father of the psychedelic rock concert poster. Today his posters are coveted among collectors, bringing hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars." at his home in Leann, Missouri on January 24, 2020. He was 82 years old.