The Dead Live On
This December marks a bold celebration of the Grateful Dead, not with another record or reunion show, but through art.
The exhibition 60 Years of the Grateful Dead opens on the 6th December at The Chambers Project gallery in Grass Valley, California.
It offers fans and art lovers a rare chance to step inside the band’s deep visual world.
Curated by psychedelic-art guru Brian Chambers, the show gathers original pieces by 20 of the artists responsible for some of rock’s most iconic visuals.
Think the swirling, hallucinatory works of Rick Griffin, the bold poster graphics of Wes Wilson, the dreamlike palette of Alton Kelley and Mouse, plus album-art pioneers like Bill Walker and the acid-test legendary Owsley Stanley.
Among the treasures on display: the original “Anthem of the Sun” painting by Walker (the band’s second album), pen-and-ink artwork for the first album Aoxomoxoa, and even a 1900 illustration titled “Skeleton Amidst Roses,” which later inspired the iconic 1971 “Skull and Roses” album cover.
It’s the first time these works have been brought together in such breadth, exploring how the Dead weren’t only about music, they were about an entire aesthetic. As curator Chambers puts it: “The visual vocabulary of the Dead was superior to other music groups. The Dead were a nexus, and in San Francisco there were always creatives surrounding them.”
But the exhibition isn’t all history and nostalgia.
Alongside rare prints and vintage posters, there will be new limited-edition merch, and future shows curated by the non-profit Psychedelic Arts and Culture Trust (PACT) that expand the Dead’s legacy into modern psychedelia and design.
For anyone fascinated by rock’s psychedelic visual legacy, from concert posters to the art that defined a generation, “60 Years of the Grateful Dead” promises a deep dive into not just an era, but an enduring cultural movement.
Be the first to be in the know by checking out The Grateful Dead’s website for updates, releases and community events here.
