Culver City,
California
x
Folding Nixon
Date Made: 1972
Country: Cuba
Materials: paper; ink
Measurements: 22 cm x 14.5 cm; 8 11/16 in x 5 11/16 in; 44 cm x 28.5 cm; 17 5/16 in x 11 1/4 in; 22 cm x 28.5 cm; 8 11/16 in x 11 1/4 in
A poster designed by Alfredo Rostgaard, published and distributed by the Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America (Organización de Solidaridad con los Pueblos de Asia, África y América Latina, OSPAAAL). The poster, in its fully-folded state, depicts the 37th president of the United States, Richard Nixon, in profile against a plain white background. As the viewer unfolds the work, he transforms into a monstrous vampire with fangs and pointed ears, against a colorful, psychedelic background. Naturally, this transformation reveals what OSPAAAL, Cuba, and anybody in solidarity with Vietnam and the anti-war movement would have believed to be Richard Nixon’s true character, as a leader of the United States during a time in which it was responsible for countless deaths and sheer destruction in Vietnam. Out of approximately 330 known poster designs produced by OSPAAAL, this work is one of three depicting Richard Nixon, and one of three that creatively interacts with its folded nature. The work is also a key example of OSPAAAL’s use of psychedelic styles, which they drew from United States counterculture. Psychedelic art and design in its original context was typically associated with drug use and indulgent behavior, though Cuban designers flipped this notion on its head, suggesting that a similar sense of ecstasy and pleasure could result from revolutionary optimism and the defeat of imperialist enemies. Unlike posters produced by Cuban governmental organizations such as Editoria Politica that were intended to be displayed in public spaces throughout Cuba, OSPAAAL posters were instead folded up and slipped in between the pages of each issue of Tricontinental, a magazine featuring content focused on various internationalist, anti-imperialist and socialist concerns. Within Tricontinental, OSPAAAL posters were mailed to as many as eighty-seven countries, with the magazine’s distribution reaching a high of 30,000 copies in 1989. OSPAAAL posters often featured colorful, eclectic, and innovative designs, with tones ranging from stylishly satirical to revolutionary optimistic.
Accession Number: 2017.048.005