View source for Victor Moscoso

{{short description|Spanish artist (born 1936)}}
{{Infobox comics creator
| image         = Victor Moscoso, psychedelic poster and comix artist.jpg
| imagesize     = 
| caption       = Moscoso in front of some of his work
| birth_name    = 
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age| July 28, 1936}}
| birth_place   = [[Culleredo|Vilaboa]], [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], Spain
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| nationality   = {{flatlist|
*[[United States|American]] 
*[[Spaniards|Spanish]]}}
| notable works = 
| patrons       = 
| awards        = {{ubl|[[Inkpot Award]], 1979|[[List of AIGA medalists|AIGA Medal]], 2018}}
| website       = {{URL|http://www.victormoscoso.pro}}
}}
'''Victor Moscoso''' (born July 28, 1936)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcj.com/an-interview-with-victor-moscoso/|title=An Interview with Victor Moscoso|work=The Comics Journal|date=February 9, 2011|access-date=May 9, 2021|archive-date=April 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428044846/http://www.tcj.com/an-interview-with-victor-moscoso/|url-status=live}}</ref> is a Spanish–American artist best known for producing [[psychedelic rock]] posters, advertisements, and [[underground comix]] in [[San Francisco]] during the 1960s and 1970s. He was the first of the rock poster artists of the 1960s era with formal academic training and experience. He was the first of the rock poster artists to use photographic collage in many of his posters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Victor Moscoso |url=https://trps.org/artists/victor-moscoso/ |website=The Rock Poster Society |access-date=2022-02-03 |archive-date=2022-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203174908/https://trps.org/artists/victor-moscoso/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Victor Moscoso {{!}} Smithsonian American Art Museum |url=https://americanart.si.edu/artist/victor-moscoso-18206 |website=americanart.si.edu |access-date=2022-02-03 |archive-date=2022-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203175016/https://americanart.si.edu/artist/victor-moscoso-18206 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Early life and education  ==
Moscoso was born in the Vilaboa [[Parroquia (Spain)|parish]] of [[Culleredo]], Galicia. He moved with his mother to [[Oleiros, Galicia|Oleiros]]. His father, whose parents had already emigrated to [[New Jersey]], was exiled to the U.S. after being persecuted by the ''[[FET y de las JONS|falange]]''. At the age of four, Moscoso and his mother, joined his father, and travelled to [[Brooklyn]], where he stayed until he was an adult. His father worked as a [[House painter and decorator|painter]] and taught him about [[Color scheme|color combination]]. His mother was a [[seamstress]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/cultura/2016/11/28/dibujante-gallego-hizo-vibrar-carteles-psicodelia-americana/0003_201611G28P25992.htm|title=El dibujante gallego que hizo vibrar los carteles de la psicodelia americana|work=La Voz de Galicia|date=November 28, 2016|access-date=May 9, 2021|archive-date=April 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407064913/https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/cultura/2016/11/28/dibujante-gallego-hizo-vibrar-carteles-psicodelia-americana/0003_201611G28P25992.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eldiario.es/galicia/galicia-san-francisco-hippie-victor-moscoso-picasso-poster-psicodelico_130_7910988.html|title=De Galicia al San Francisco hippie: Victor Moscoso, "el Picasso del póster psicodélico"|work=El Diario|date=May 9, 2021|access-date=May 9, 2021|archive-date=May 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509065532/https://www.eldiario.es/galicia/galicia-san-francisco-hippie-victor-moscoso-picasso-poster-psicodelico_130_7910988.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

After studying art at [[Cooper Union]] in New York City and at [[Yale University]], Moscoso moved to [[San Francisco]] in 1959. There, he attended the [[San Francisco Art Institute]], where he eventually became an instructor.<ref>{{cite news |title=Only the Dreamer: An Interview with Victor Moscoso |url=https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/03/30/only-the-dreamer-an-interview-with-victor-moscoso/ |publisher=[[The Paris Review]] |date=30 March 2015 |access-date=3 February 2022 |archive-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203180137/https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/03/30/only-the-dreamer-an-interview-with-victor-moscoso/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Career==

Moscoso's use of vibrating colors was influenced by painter [[Josef Albers]], one of his teachers at Yale.<ref>{{cite web |title=Victor Moscoso |url=https://americanart.si.edu/artist/victor-moscoso-18206 |website=americanart.si.edu |publisher=Smithsonian American Art Museum |access-date=26 April 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

Professional success came in the form of the psychedelic rock and roll poster art created for San Francisco and Denver’s dance halls and clubs. Moscoso's posters for the [[Family Dog Productions|Family Dog]] dance-concerts at the [[Avalon Ballroom]] and his Neon Rose posters for the Matrix resulted in international attention during the 1967 [[Summer of Love]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-02-26-ca-5876-story.html|title=Art|work=Los Angeles Times|date=February 26, 1987|access-date=October 24, 2016|archive-date=October 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024152324/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-02-26/entertainment/ca-5876_1_alton-kelley|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-16-et-weekpop16-story.html|title=Concert posters are rocky history's visuals|first=Casey|last=Dolan|date=June 16, 2008|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 24, 2016|via=LA Times|archive-date=October 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024154400/http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/16/entertainment/et-weekpop16|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/memorabilia/support/news/Placements/2006-04-17-StarTribune.html ''Selling rock 'n' roll history, one ticket stub at a time'' - Star Tribune, April 17, 2006 - By Jon Bream] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722111531/http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/memorabilia/support/news/Placements/2006-04-17-StarTribune.html |date=July 22, 2014 }}</ref>  From September to December 1967, his psychedelic posters done for Chet Helms’ [[The Family Dog Denver|Family Dog Denver]] further extended his accomplishments and recognition. Moscoso's poster work includes album covers for musicians such as [[Jerry Garcia]], [[Bob Weir]], [[Herbie Hancock]], [[Jed Davis (musician)|Jed Davis]], and [[David Grisman]].

By 1968, Moscoso was doing work for [[underground comix]], for such titles as ''[[Yellow Dog (comics)|Yellow Dog]]'', ''Jiz Comics'', ''Snatch Comics'', ''El Perfecto Comics'', and ''[[Zap Comix]]''. As one of the ''Zap'' artists, his psychedelic work once again received international attention. His comics appeared in every issue of ''Zap'' from 1968 until the title's final issue in 2014; he also illustrated the covers for ''Zap'' #s 4, 10, and 13. Moscoso's comix work is notable for its repetitive framing and reliance on an eight-panel grid. The subjects of his comics in ''Zap'' are often classic characters like [[Mickey Mouse]], [[Donald Duck]], [[Krazy Kat]], [[Mr. Peanut]], [[Bugs Bunny]] and [[Winsor McCay]]'s [[Little Nemo]].

In 1977, Moscoso designed radio station [[KMEL]]'s mascot: a camel wearing headphones.<ref name=McDonough1980>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZiQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT22 |page=22 |magazine=Billboard |title=San Francisco FM Power: KMEL Seeks 'Total Demographic' |last=McDonough |first=Jack |date=November 1, 1980 |volume=92 |number=44 |issn=0006-2510 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media}}</ref> (The station used the KMEL call letters to name itself "Kamel 106".)

Moscoso has also created art for use on [[T-shirt]]s, billboards and animated commercials for radio stations, for which he received two [[Clio award]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 25 Best Psychedelic Posters from Artist Victor Moscoso |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/design/victor-moscoso/enjoy-the-25-best-psychedelic-posters-from-artist/ |website=pastemagazine.com |publisher=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |language=en |date=25 May 2017 |access-date=3 February 2022 |archive-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203180407/https://www.pastemagazine.com/design/victor-moscoso/enjoy-the-25-best-psychedelic-posters-from-artist/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, he was given an [[Inkpot Award]] in 1979.<ref>Comic Con Souvenir Book No. 40. San Diego Comic-Com International. 2009. p. 60.</ref> Moscoso was a 2018 [[List of AIGA medalists|AIGA Medalist]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 AIGA Medalist: Victor Moscoso |url=https://www.aiga.org/inspiration/talks/victor-moscoso-2018-aiga-medalist-victor-moscoso |website=www.aiga.org |publisher=[[American Institute of Graphic Arts]] |language=en |access-date=2022-02-03 |archive-date=2022-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203180532/https://www.aiga.org/inspiration/talks/victor-moscoso-2018-aiga-medalist-victor-moscoso |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1979, the French publisher Futuropolis published ''Moscoso Comix'' #1, a 52-page collection (which was republished in English 1989). ''Sex, Rock 'N' Roll, & Optical Illusions'', a comprehensive collection of Moscoso's poster and comics work, was published by [[Fantagraphics]] in 2006, featuring introductions by [[Steven Heller (design writer)|Steven Heller]] and [[Milton Glaser]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Study of Victor Moscoso {{!}} Basic Studies By Matthew Cox |url=https://blogs.lt.vt.edu/arch1015mcox/breaking-the-rules-with-victor-moscoso-and-redefining-their-importance/ |website=blogs.lt.vt.edu |access-date=2022-02-03 |archive-date=2022-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203180710/https://blogs.lt.vt.edu/arch1015mcox/breaking-the-rules-with-victor-moscoso-and-redefining-their-importance/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Moscoso returned to Galicia for the first time in 1965, at age 29. In 2016, he described the visit as "Travelling a 100 years back in time. I could visit my grandparents who were, at the time, very old." Even though he returned sporadically after that, he showed little interest in visiting again, as the last time he did so was in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/cultura/2016/11/28/dibujante-gallego-hizo-vibrar-carteles-psicodelia-americana/0003_201611G28P25992.htm|title=El dibujante gallego que hizo vibrar los carteles de la psicodelia americana|work=La Voz de Galicia|date=April 14, 2021|access-date=May 9, 2021|archive-date=April 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407064913/https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/cultura/2016/11/28/dibujante-gallego-hizo-vibrar-carteles-psicodelia-americana/0003_201611G28P25992.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2021, Moscoso still lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elidealgallego.com/texto-diario/mostrar/2835371/artista-victor-moscoso-vuelve-tierra-muestra-unica|title=El artista Víctor Moscoso vuelve a su tierra con una muestra "única"|work=El Ideal Gallego|date=November 28, 2016|access-date=May 9, 2021|archive-date=May 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507155410/https://www.elidealgallego.com/texto-diario/mostrar/2835371/artista-victor-moscoso-vuelve-tierra-muestra-unica|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Exhibitions ==
* 1987 (Summer): ''"Zap Comix #12,"'' Psychedelic Solution Gallery (New York City) — along with the ''[[Zap Comix]]'' collective
* 2011 (May 12–June 25) ''"Zap: Masters of Psychedelic Art, 1965-74,"'' Andrew Edlin Gallery (New York City) — along with the ''Zap'' collective
* 2016 (March 2–May 7): ''"The ZAP Show: A Cultural Revolution,"'' [[Society of Illustrators]] (New York City) — along with the ''Zap'' collective; curated by Monte Beauchamp
* 2023 (December 7-February 22): ''Moscoso Cosmos: The Visual Universe of Victor Moscoso'' [[Instituto Cervantes]] (New York City); curated by graphic designer David Carballal <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/the-daily-heller-moscoso-cosmos/|title = Moscoso Breaks the Rules and Creates a Language |author=Steven Heller|date = 12 December 2023 }}</ref>
* 2024 (March 15-July 15): ''Moscoso Cosmos: The Visual Universe of Victor Moscoso'' Instituto Cervantes (Chicago); curated by David Carballal <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/the-daily-heller-victor-moscoso-brightens-chicago/|title =  Victor Moscoso Brightens Up Chicago |author=Steven Heller|date = 27 March 2024 }}</ref>

== Publications ==
=== Album covers ===
* [[Manfred Mann]], ''[[The Mighty Quinn (album)|The Mighty Quinn]]'' (1968)
* [[Steve Miller Band]], ''[[Children of the Future (Steve Miller Band album)|Children of the Future]]'' (1968)
* Colours, ''Atmosphere'' (1969)
* [[Steve Cropper]], ''With a Little Help from My Friends'' (1969)
* [[Herbie Hancock]], ''[[Head Hunters (album)|Head Hunters]]'' (1973)
* [[Jerry Garcia]], ''[[Compliments (album)|Compliments]]'' (1974)
* [[Bob Weir]], ''[[Bobby and the Midnites (album)|Bobby and the Midnites]]'' (1981)
* Jerry Garcia, ''[[Run for the Roses (album)|Run for the Roses]]'' (1982)
* [[David Grisman]], ''[[Acousticity (David Grisman album)|Acousticity]]'' (1984)
* D.J. Burns, ''Backseat Lovin<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' (1991)
* Willie McBlind, ''Find My Way Back Home'' (2009)
* [[Jed Davis (musician)|Jed Davis]], ''The Cutting Room Floor'' (2010)<ref>{{cite web|last=Allen|first=James|title=The Cutting Room Floor - Jed Davis|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-cutting-room-floor-r1955137|publisher=All-Music Guide|access-date=22 April 2012|archive-date=8 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230808182005/https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-cutting-room-floor-mw0002032613|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Comics ===
==== Solo titles ====
* ''Color (Cosmic Comics)'' (Print Mint, 1971)
* ''Moscoso Comix'' #1 (Futuropolis, 1979) — 52 pages, including "KSAN Comics," a 9-page story from 1971 that was originally displayed inside San Francisco MUNI buses in a partnership with [[KSAN (FM)]]. "KSAN Comics" was designed as a loop that can be read at any point in the story. The twenty-three panels are all numbered on the lower left side. ''Moscoso Comix'' was later republished by Electric City Comix in 1989.

==== Contributor ====
* ''[[Yellow Dog (comics)|Yellow Dog]]'' #2 ([[The Print Mint]], [June] 1968) — 2 stories for 2 total pages
* ''[[Zap Comix]]'' #2 ([[Apex Novelties]], [July] 1968) — 6 stories for 8 total pages
* ''Yellow Dog'' #7 (The Print Mint, Dec. 1968) — 1-page story 
* ''Jiz Comics'' (Apex Novelties, 1969) — 1-page story
* ''Radical America Komiks'' vol. 3, #1 ([[Students for a Democratic Society]], 1969) — 2 stories for 2 total pages
* ''Snatch Comics'' #2 (Apex Novelties, Jan. 1969) — 1-page story
* ''Zap Comix'' #3 (The Print Mint, 1969) — 2 stories for 8 total pages
* ''Snatch Comics'' #3 (Apex Novelties, Aug. 1969) — 1 2-page story
* ''Zap Comix'' #4 (The Print Mint, 1969) — 2 stories
* ''Zap Comix'' #5 (The Print Mint, 1970) — 1 6-page story ("Krazy Komix")
* ''[[Los Angeles Times Magazine|West Magazine]]'' (1971) — 1-page story ("[[Spiro Agnew|Spiro]]'s Trip to Mars"); also published as a postcard
* ''The Rip Off Review of Western Culture'' #1 (Rip Off Press, June/July 1972)
* ''West Magazine'' (c. 1972) — 1-page collaboration with [[Robert Williams (artist)|Robt. Williams]] ("Howdy Aliens!")
* ''El Perfecto Comics'' (The Print Mint, 1973) — 2 stories for a total of 4 pages
* ''Zap Comix'' #6 (The Print Mint, 1973) — 1 6-page story ("Loop De Loop De")
* ''Tales from the Berkeley-Con'' vol. 2, #2 (Rip Off Press/Last Gasp, 1974) — 1-page story
* ''Zam-Zap Jam'' (The Print Mint, 1974) — 2 jams with [[Robert Crumb]] ("Abracadabra" and "A Bug Story") for a total of 9 pages
* ''Zap Comix'' #7 (The Print Mint, 1974) — 1 6-page story ("[Changes]") and a back cover
* ''[[Arcade (comics magazine)|Arcade]]'' #1 (The Print Mint, Spring 1975) — 1-page story ("Mystic Comics Part 1")
* ''Zap Comix'' #8 (The Print Mint, 1975) — 2 stories ("[[Rumpelstiltskin]]" and "Dinosaur Fight") for a total of 4 pages
* ''Zap Comix'' #9 (The Print Mint, 1978) — 2 stories for a total of 5 pages
* ''Zap Comix'' #10 (Last Gasp, 1982) — 1 9-page story ("The Oasis") and the front cover
* ''Zap Comix'' #11 (Last Gap, Feb. 1985) — contribution to one 1-page group jam
* ''Zap Comix'' #12 ([[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]], 1989) — 1 7-page story ("The Artist and the Elves")
* ''Zap Comix'' #13 (Last Gasp, 1994) — 8 stories for a total of 12 pages
* ''Zap Comix'' #14 (Last Gasp, 1998) — 8 stories for a total of 16 pages, including 3 "Blobman Comics" (Nos. 10, 11, and 12) and a 2-page collaboration with [[Spain Rodriguez]] ("Incident at Zwigoff's")
* ''Zap Comix'' #15 (Last Gasp, 2005) — 3 stories for a total of 7 pages, including a Blobman comic

==See also==
* [[Robert Crumb]]
* [[Rick Griffin]]
* [[Alton Kelley]]
* [[Stanley Mouse]]
* [[Wes Wilson]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{Official website|https://victormoscoso.pro/}}
*[http://www.typotheque.com/articles/zap_comics Steven Heller on ''Zap Comix'']
*[http://www.therose7.com/ Eric King's guide to rock and roll poster art from 1965-1973]
*[http://lambiek.net/artists/m/moscoso.htm Lambiek.net notes on Moscoso]
*[https://www.moma.org/artists/4117 Colección MoMA de Victor Moscoso]

=== Interviews ===
*[http://www.tcj.com/an-interview-with-victor-moscoso/ Comic Journal interview], 2002
*[http://www.marinij.com/fastsearchresults/ci_4390048 Marin Independent Journal interview, Sept. 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222050055/http://www.marinij.com/fastsearchresults/ci_4390048 |date=2011-02-22 }}
*[http://www.dead.net/family-dog-interviews?eml=dnb%2F061311%2Finterviews video interviews from dead.net with Family Dog poster artists, 2010]

{{Underground comix cartoonists}}
{{Inkpot Award 1970s}}

{{Authority control (arts)|country=ES}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moscoso, Victor}}
[[Category:American comics artists]]
[[Category:American illustrators]]
[[Category:Spanish album-cover and concert-poster artists]]
[[Category:American album-cover and concert-poster artists]]
[[Category:Artists from Galicia (Spain)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American poster artists]]
[[Category:Spanish comics artists]]
[[Category:Spanish illustrators]]
[[Category:Spanish poster artists]]
[[Category:Psychedelic artists]]
[[Category:Underground cartoonists]]
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:Artists from the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Yale School of Art alumni]]
[[Category:AIGA medalists]]