CRANBROOK ART MUSEUM SUMMER 2018 EXHIBITIONS

Shepard Fairey, Pasteup, Unknown, 1999.

Bloomfield Hills, Mich., March 5, 2018—This summer, Cranbrook Art Museum will organize the largest exhibition of its kind exploring the unique visual language of the punk and post-punk movements from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: Punk Graphics, 1976-1986 will feature hundreds of graphics—including many rare flyers, posters, albums, promotions, and zines.

“Since its rebellious inception in the 1970s, punk has always exhibited very visual forms of expression,” says Director of Cranbrook Art Museum Andrew Blauvelt, who is curating the exhibition. “From the dress and hairstyles of its devotees and the on-stage theatrics of its musicians to the graphic design of its numerous forms of printed matter. As such, punk’s energy coalesced into a powerful subcultural phenomena that transcended music to affect other fields such as visual art and design.”

Various posters for The Clash, c. 1977–1985, Collection of Andrew Krivine. Photo courtesy the Galleries at Moore, Philadelphia.
Photo by Joseph Hu.

In conjunction with Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die, the Museum will debut the original exhibition Shepard Fairey: Salad Days, 1989-1999, which considers Fairey’s first 10 years of artistic practice and its roots in the graphic language and philosophies of the punk scene. Punk’s ethos played a decisive role in the artist’s early work. “When I discovered punk rock, and realized that music could have an attitude in its style but a specific point of view in its lyrics,” states Fairey, “I became even more interested in how it works as a way of shaping attitudes and culture.”

Opening Weekend Events
June 15 + 16, 2018

Cranbrook Art Museum will host a weekend of celebrations surrounding the opening of both exhibitions. For exclusive access and advance ticket information, become a member today!

Preview Party: Friday, June 15, 2018 from 6-9pm.
6-7pm: VIP reception exclusively for ArtMembers. Memberships may be purchased on our website.

7-9pm: Open to the general public. Tickets are $30 at the door, or may be purchased in advance on our website.

DJs will be on hand for the celebration, as well as a very special guest! Cash bar. Live music. Complimentary appetizers.