“Electrical Banana: Masters of Psychedelic Art” book published

Released on February 1, 2012, “Electrical Banana: Masters of Psychedelic Art” is a comprehensive new book exploring the world of psychedelic art. Featuring a foreword by Paul McCartney, the book delves into the significant impact of psychedelic aesthetics on 1960s culture, from advertising and fashion to music and film.

Authored by Norman Hathaway and Dan Nadel, “Electrical Banana” presents a detailed overview of the movement, showcasing the work of key international artists. With previously unpublished images, exclusive interviews, and in-depth essays, the book offers a fresh perspective on the psychedelic era.

Readers can expect to discover the contributions of renowned figures such as Marijke Koger (member of The Fool and fashion designer for The Beatles), Heinz Edelmann (animator and designer of the “Yellow Submarine” film), Dudley Edwards (painter and graphic artist).

From Electrical Banana: Masters of Psychedelic Art – ARTBOOK:

Electrical Banana: Masters of Psychedelic Art

Foreword by Paul McCartney.Text by Norman Hathaway, Dan Nadel.

From advertising and fashion to music and film, the psychedelic aesthetic defined the look of the 1960s. And yet neither the true scope of psychedelic art nor its key practitioners have ever been the subject of a thorough overview. Electrical Banana is the first definitive examination of the international language of psychedelia, focusing on the most important practitioners in their respective fields. Compiling hundreds of unseen images plus exclusive interviews and essays, it revises and expands the common perception of psychedelic art, revealing it to be more innovative, compelling and revolutionary than is usually acknowledged. Electrical Banana documents the great virtuosos of psychedelic art: men and women whose work combines avant-garde design with highly sophisticated image-making. Launching a million Day-glo dreams, the artists include: Marijke Koger, the Dutch artist responsible for dressing the Beatles; Mati Klarwein, who painted the cover for Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew; Keiichi Tanaami, the Japanese master of psychedelic posters; Heinz Edelmann, the German illustrator and designer of the Beatles’ animated film Yellow Submarine; Tadanori Yokoo, whose prints, books and fabrics defined the 1960s in Japan; Dudley Edwards, a painter, car decorator and graphic artist on the London rock scene; and the enigmatic Australian Martin Sharp, whose work for Cream and underground magazines made him a hippie household name in Europe. Electrical Banana features a lengthy historical essay and interviews with all of the artists.

The name the Fool came from my interest in the Tarot, which was introduced to me by our friend Graham Bond, the great organist /songwriter of the Graham Bond Organization. Around the same time all this was happening, one of my gigs was for Brian Epstein, designing the programs for his Sunday evening concerts at the Saville Theatre, so I did that and then a lot of people around him saw it. Mal Evans, the Beatles roadie, brought John and Paul to our house one evening and they just flipped out over our painted armoire (which was later used as part of the set design Simon and I created for the Wonderwall film) and our paintings and designs. They were just blown away by it all so they wanted to be involved with us, and you know, we started doing things… 

Marijke Dunham, excerpted from Electrical Banana

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