|
 |
|
| |
In Winston We Trust |
|
|
| |
|
| 07/12/2009 |
|
|
|
As is our custom at the Courmayeur Noir in Festival, the graphic art that appears on our poster and catalogue cover is designed by a celebrated artist of contemporary art. This year, that task fell to iconic punk artist Winston Smith.
After studying painting and production design in the early 1970s in Florence, Smith’s first works were created for the progressive musical group Perigeo. In 1976 he moved to San Francisco, where he continued creating poster art and album covers.
Since the mid-1970s, his modus operandi has been to kidnap “innocent” images from the pages of vintage magazines and then glue them diabolically into politically compromising positions in surreal collage landscapes.
Many of his works have become infamous for their content. In 1981, his cover art for the Dead Kennedy album In God We Trust, Inc – of Jesus nailed to a cross of dollars – created a scandal. The album, which was temporarily banned in England and condemned by the American Religious Right, landed Smith a permanent spot in the punk culture hall of fame.
Smith has published three books on his vast artistic production: Act Like Nothing’s Wrong (1994), Artcrime (1998) and All Riot on the Western Front (2004).
He continues to pack a political punch but has also developed an almost classical surrealist approach. Today, his work is published in leading international magazines (including Playboy and The New Yorker, among others) and is the cover art for the albums of numerous bands, including Ben Harper, Jello Biafra and Green Day.
For more information on Winston Smith, please visit his site: www.winstonsmith.com |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
