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GARY PANTER + BOB ZOELL: 1985 EXHIBITION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR "A TRUCKLOAD OF ART"
(PANTER, GARY). Ball, Bert & Richard Duardo. Los Angeles. ND (1985).: Bert Ball & Richard Duardo. Edition Not Stated - First Printing. Oblong 8vo. Printed Postcard. Exhibition Announcement. Near Fine.. One 7 x 5" glossy cardstock sheet printed in duotone offset recto and verso, 2 illustrations. This is the stylish announcement for the notorious 1985 Los Angeles group exhibition organized by Arts administrator Bert Ball and the late, great artist and master silkscreen printer Richard Duardo entitled "A Truckload of Art." Seeking to capitalize on the huge crowd anticipated for the opening night preview of MoCA's landmark "Helter Skelter" show, and using Terry Allen's song title as a literal point of departure, the pair rented a forty-five foot long semi trailer, installed sheetrock walls, carpet and track lighting, hung it with works by friends Gary Panter, Georganne Deen, Bob Zoell, and Robert Williams, surreptitiously deposited their lowbrow gallery on wheels in front of the Temporary Contemporary, unhitched the cab, and drove away so the Museum couldn't force them to move before the opening began. The resulting crowd for the two events was estimated to exceed 30,000! Ball and Duardo were also responsible for the legendary "Western Exterminators" show at the Zero One Gallery, but that's another story for another day. This official invite features a Panter-drawn Jimbo in a suit and tie thinking "It's no fun living in a world where nothing happens" on one side, and Bob Zoell's jaunty rendering of Vincent Van Gogh's disembodied head scooting along in a wagon with the event details in his hand-lettered typeface below on the other. A most handsome example of this exceedingly uncommon ephemeral piece of LA Art history perfect for the Gary Panter completeist showing a flattened diagonal soft crease through one corner. Inventory Number: 027148