[AFRICAN AMERICANA] CALDWELL, Benjamin

Poster: Journal of Black Poetry Press

[San Francisco: Journal of Black Poetry], 1970. Original illustrated poster, printed in black on white stock, measuring 44.5cm x 57.5cm (17.5" x 22.5"). Edges a little curled from being rolled, else Fine (unbacked).

Promotional poster for The Journal of Black Poetry Press, a significant Bay Area periodical founded by Joe Goncalves in 1966. The poster features striking Afrofuturist imagery by Harlem-born playwright and artist Benjamin Caldwell (b.1937), depicting a large silhouette of a Black man whose body contains the solar system, and whose right hand is clutching a globe with the continent of Africa positioned front and center. The image was originally used on the front cover for Vol.1, No.10 (Fall, 1968) of The Journal of Black Poetry. Caldwell was deeply entrenched in the Black Arts Movement, settling in Newark in the mid-1960's, where he worked closely with Amiri Baraka and others involved with Jihad Productions. Uncommon, with only one copy listed in OCLC (at UVA); we also note an example held at OMCA.

Price: $500.00

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