Hunter S. Thompson Sheriff Poster at Auction
Well known as a leading figure of the American counterculture in the 1960s, and for his at times outlandish behaviour, Hunter S. Thompson was also an innovative journalist, best-selling author, and for a short time, a political candidate. His 1972 run for Colorado Sheriff, while unsuccessful, left behind a remarkable set of posters designed by his close friend, Thomas Benton.
The Hunter S. Thompson Sheriff posters are now sought-after collectors’ items, and
we are delighted to bring to auction an original, signed copy in our June Eclectic Objects auction.
An Eccentric & Eclectic Life
Still best known for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – the drug-fuelled 1972 novel that was both a lament on the end of the counterculture movement and critique of American excess – Hunter S. Thompson was the best selling author of 12 further novels and a pioneer of 1970’s “New Journalism”.
Alongside writers including Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote, Joan Didion and Norman Mailer, Thompson was one of the first to place the writer within each article, a subjective style he termed “gonzo’ journalism. He took it to extremes when he spent a year in close quarters with the Hells’ Angels bikie gang to write Hell’s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga, a tentative arrangement that did not end well, according to his BBC obituary.
In 1970 he also stepped front and centre into politics, with a run for Sheriff in Aspen, Colorado. While unsuccessful, the campaign left behind a striking set of promotional posters that are now coveted collectors’ items.
Pictured: Hunter S. Thompson in 1971 (public domain image)
A Poster for the Ages
In 1970, Thompson threw his hat in the ring to become county sheriff of Aspen, Colorado. His campaigned under the monikor “Freak Power”, a term that had first been used the year prior by a candidate in the Aspen mayoral election (that Thompson wrote about).
Far from the chaotic image associated with Thompson, his campaign was described as thoughtful and articulate, with a focus on local environment protection, among other issues. His ideas weren’t forgotten and a volunteer on his campaign would go on to win the sheriff election in 1976.
The campaign posters were designed and silk-screened by Thompson’s friend, artist Thomas W. Benton. The striking design in primary colours featured a scarlet fist clenching a peyote button, inside a stylised sheriff’s badge.
While widely reproduced, niche collectors often seek out original silkscren posters signed by both Thompson and Benton. In an interview promoting a 2021 exhibition at New York’s Poster House gallery that showcased “Freak Power” campaigns and ephemera, a curator observed that while pristine examples of the original Thompson Sheriff posters have sold for close to US$25,000, the real drawcard for many collectors is the historical significance and link with Thompson, so much so that they had difficulty sourcing loans for the exhibition.
On offer in our June Eclectic Objects auction is a framed and signed poster, originally purchased at Omni Bus Gallery, Aspen, October 1994.
Eclectic Objects
Monday 30 June | 6pm
View Catalogue
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Theodore Bruce offers regular auctions in vintage posters in our Fine Art, Eclectic and Collectables auctions. To stay informed, please sign up to our newsletter via the link below, keep an eye on Upcoming Auctions, and follow us on Instagram.