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As many of us know, Alton Kelleyâe(tm)s recent passing is a tremendous loss to the poster world. A student of industrial design and hot rod culture, he soon met up with like-minded Stanley Mouse and embarked on a collaboration that would lead the psychedelic rock poster revolution. With the free rein to just go graphically crazy, their images became iconic masterpieces -- sophisticated, yet irreverent. A master of collage, for 40 years Alton rendered his art by hand, mixing modern cultural themes with historic motifs to create a visual landscape both stunning and peculiar to a particular time and space. This original pencil artwork done for the Grateful Dead proves how wonderful of an artist he was.

In honor of Alton Kelley, a portion of proceeds from the sale of this original artwork, as well as sales of his poster art from our site, will be donated to the Alton Kelley Memorial Bench Fund in Sonoma County Park .

This original artwork comes in a silver frame, which measures 22 1/2âe x 26 1/2âe, surrounded by blue matting. We will NOT remove the artwork from the frame. T are some condition issues with the piece. Through the glass, one can see a crease down the middle of the skull, as it was once folded. Around the borders, t are some visible handling marks; most notably along the right border. In the top left corner t are two 1/2âe tears. This is original artwork done in pencil, so t are some errant pencil marks, as well as smudging. It is a beautiful original piece created by a concert poster artist who will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time.

The buyer receives a Certificate of Provenance with purchase upon request.

** Shipping outside the contiguous U.S. and international shipping is additional and buyer is responsible for all applicable customs charges, duties, and/or taxes.**

For collectors seeking truly vintage posters t is no other source that can match the breadth and authenticity of the collection at Wolfgang's Vault. For more, read about

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Winning bidder will receive an invoice via email. All sales are final and payments are due within 7 days of the auction's end. If you can't pay the winning bid within 7 days, then please do not bid. Every item sold will be insured for its full value during shipping. Insurance will be included in the shipping and handling charge on the invoice.

Wolfgang's Vault will sell the item to the winning bidder. Offers made after the auction ends will not be entertained. We are not responsible for any lost or delayed bids. If the winning bidder does not pay within 7 days, Wolfgang's Vault has the right to contact the second highest bidder.

Wolfgang's Vault retains the right to remove bids which we feel are fraudulent or are not made in good faith according to eBay policies.

If the condition description above is not sufficient, please contact us through the ' Ask Seller a Question ' link provided above. We advise any inquiries to be made well in advance.

Renowned poster enthusiast, Jacaeber Kastor, informed us that this original artwork was a proposal for the Grateful Dead's "Built to Last" album cover, which Alton Kelley art directed. His plan was to create a biker jacket based on this illustration, then use a photograph of the jacket as the album cover. Unfortunately, the cover ended up with the band members and a tower of playing cards.

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