Derek Boshier In The ’70s
//Detail, Lodger, David Bowie, 1979. Album sleeve design Boshier/Bowie/Duffy.//
Derek Boshier In The ’70s is the self-explanatory title of an exhibition of the great man’s work running from this Saturday (April 9) through to May 7 at San Francisco’s Steven Wolf Fine Art.
The decade marked a period of exploration into new media and outlets of expression for Boshier, who took advantage of improvements in photo, film and printing technologies to investigate alternatives to painting and sculpture and pursue a larger audience outside the gallery system.
This resulted in architectural commissions, collage, photography, films such as Reel, conceptual art ventures such as photo-booklet 16 Situations, graphic and other work for rock performers including David Bowie’s album Lodger and The Clash 2nd Songbook, banners for trade unions and even a pinball machine for Fanta Orange soda.
I came into contact with Derek during research for my Barney Bubbles book; towards the end of the 70s the artist commissioned Bubbles to produce the catalogue, poster + private view invitation for the group show he curated at London’s Hayward Gallery, Lives: An Exhibition Of Artists Whose Work Is Based On Other People’s Lives.
I was also intrigued by Derek’s involvement in Pauline Fordham’s 60s London boutique Pallisades, so wrote about him here.
For more information about the forthcoming show at Steven Wolf, visit the gallery’s website here.
And this is Derek’s website.