Barton Lidice Benes - 1971 Political Activism Christian American satire poster

Description

Extraordinarily rare and stunning early Barton Lidice Benes art poster. Exhibiting his early propensity for provocative visual statement, this 1971 poster would have been a forerunner to his later well known and collected activism pieces.
His work is in the permanent collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, The Smithsonian, The U.S. Mint and North Dakota Museum of Art, and within the private holdings of collectors around the globe.
This print is dated 1971, and presents the viewer with an uncomfortable marriage of the patriotic symbolism of the American flag, presented as a 'sun god', above the words "Thou shalt have no other gods before me". (reference to one of the Biblical  commandments)
Barton Lidice Benes (November 16, 1942 – Hackensack, New Jersey – May 30, 2012 – New York) studied at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York and Beaux-Arts, Avignon, France in the late sixties and he was the the forefront of New York’s burgeoning gay scene. During the 1970's he was featured in numerous documentaries about art, AIDS and gay history. It was not until the 1980's when he rose to prominence with his whimsical constructions of shredded currency and later with his signature “museums".
Barton's signature lays within the design, arcing around the bottom edge of the deified celestial face.
The poster itself is in good condition with light wear along edges as expected for a vintage poster. Printed by Synergisms. Stored rolled.
Measures approximately 19" x 44" vertical
Bold graphics and statement in red, black, and blue on off-white background.