Richard Avedon | The Beatles, 1967

Richard Avedon

The Beatles, 1967

complete set of five lithograph posters, each from the first edition, each published by Cowles Education Corporation/Richard Avedon Posters, Inc. and from Maximus Enterprises LTD., printed by Waterlow and Sons, Ltd., England, copyright by Nems Enterprises Ltd., each individual portrait (685 x 475mm.), group portrait (368 x 1011mm)

Group Portrait - rolled, unbacked; 16mm tear to middle of left edge; middle of right edge has creasing resulting in white paper showing where tape has been removed from verso resulting in thinning of the paper; small tear approx. 16mm to lower right edge below JL portrait; area of foxing to verso of left edge extending approx. 160 mm from edge inwards; old tape and tape residue on verso of right edge; light creasing overall

Individual Portraits – all rolled and unbacked; all four have old tape, or old tape residue to all four corners on verso, some very light rubbing to some corners and edges in places; otherwise very good

JL Portrait – old pin holes to all four corners

PL Portrait – small tear to middle of lower edge, approx. 6mm

In August 1967, the American photographer Richard Avedon met with the Beatles in Thompson House, London and took a number of photographic portraits of the band. Avedon used a new solarization technique with the photographs and adorned them with psychedelic saturation effects. They were first published in January of the following year in Look Magazine in the US, and Daily Express in the UK. They were wildly popular and were subsequently sold as this poster set.

The banner image nicknamed the 'Mount Rushmore' image of the Beatles was actually a collage of four separate photographs. These black and white images are some of the most recognizable portraits of the band.