Psychedelic Rock Poster Artist Martin Sharp

Martin Sharp was an Australian artist, best known for his psychedelic rock posters and album covers for Cream and Jimi Hendrix.

Introduction

Martin Sharp (1942-2013) was an Australian artist, best known for his psychedelic rock posters, which he designed in the 1960s. He was also a founding member of the band Southern Cross.

Sharp began his career as a cartoonist, contributing to magazines such as Oz andLondon Opinion. He first came to prominence with his psychedelic rock posters for the band Cream, which he designed while living in London in the late 1960s. He subsequently designed posters for other bands, including The Rolling Stones and The Who.

In the 1970s, Sharp returned to Australia, where he continued to work as an artist and musician. He released several solo albums and made a number of television appearances. He died in 2013 at the age of 71.

Early Life and Career

Martin Sharp was born in Sydney, Australia, on February 8, 1942. His father was a journalist and his mother an amateur artist. Sharp began drawing at an early age and exhibited a talent for music and poetry as well. He briefly attended the University of Sydney before dropping out to pursue his artistic career.

In 1962, Sharp moved to London, where he became involved in the burgeoning psychedelic music scene. He began designing posters and album covers for underground music venues such as the UFO Club and the Roundhouse. He also wrote for various underground publications, including International Times and Oz magazine.

In 1967, Sharp returned to Australia, where he co-founded the head shop Gesalt with entrepreneur Martin Fisher. The following year, he co-founded the pop group Cream with singer-songwriter Marcia Hines and guitarist Russell Hitchcock. The group had a string of hits including “Sunshine of Your Love” and “Badge” before disbanding in 1969.

Sharp continued to work as a solo artist after Cream’s dissolution, producing album covers for musicians such as Bob Dylan and Donovan. He also worked as a graphic designer for Film Australia and Young Films. In 1971, he directed his first film, Freedom, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

Throughout his career, Sharp maintained a close relationship with rock musician turned art dealer John Leonard. In 2008, Leonard established the Martin Sharp Archive to preserve Sharp’s work.

Psychedelic Rock Posters

Martin Sharp was an Australian artist, best known for his work as a psychedelic rock poster artist in the 1960s. In addition to his work in advertising and magazine design, he also created album covers, set and costumes designs for stage productions, and wrote and directed two films. His most famous work is probably the poster he designed for the 1967 San Francisco music festival known as “The Summer of Love.”

Later Career

Martin Sharp’s career as a psychedelic rock artist stretches beyond his work in the Australian underground press of the late 1960s. In fact, it was much later, in the early 1990s, that Martin truly reached his stride as an artist, with a series of colorful and vibrant works that celebrated the spirit of psychedelia.

Sharp’s work from this period includes a series of posters for the band Grateful Dead, as well as a now- iconic image of Bob Dylan that appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1992. These works helped to cement Sharp’s reputation as one of the premier psychedelic artists of his generation, and they remain some of his most popular and revered pieces today.

Death and Legacy

Martin Sharp died on December 1, 2013, at his home in Sydney from liver cancer, aged 71. He is survived by his wife, Mimi, and their daughter, Ottoline.

Psychedelic artist Martin Sharp was one of the most original and influential forces in late 1960s counterculture. As a key figure in the Australian underground music and art scene, he created some of the most iconic images of the period.

Sharp was born in 1942 in Sydney, Australia. He showed an early aptitude for art, and after completing high school he studied at the prestigious Julian Ashton Art School. His first professional commission came in 1966 when he was asked to design a poster for the nascent Australian rock band The Grateful Dead. This would prove to be the start of a lifelong association with the band and their music.

Over the next few years Sharp became increasingly involved in the underground music scene in Australia and abroad. He designed posters and album covers for a number of bands, including Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Nice, and Jefferson Airplane. He also edited and published Oz magazine, which became a focal point for the counterculture movement in Australia.

In 1968 Sharp relocated to London, where he continued to work as a graphic artist and editor for Oz magazine. It was during this period that he created some of his most memorable works, including the iconic psychedelic poster for Cream’s farewell concert at Royal Albert Hall.

Following the demise of Oz magazine in 1969, Sharp returned to Australia. He continued to work as a graphic artist and musician, collaborating with a number of different artists over the years. In recent years he had been working on an autobiography, but sadly this was unfinished at the time of his death.

Martin Sharp was one of the most significant cultural figures of his generation. His work continues to inspire artists and musicians all over the world.”