Boyd Elder
(1944-2018)
"Sundancer," 1975
Offset lithograph in colors on Arches paper
Edition: 99/100
Signed, titled, and numbered in pencil in the lower margin: © Boyd Elder; Cirrus Editions Ltd, Los Angeles, CA, prntr., with their blindstamp in the lower left margin corner, and pencil work number "254c-BE80" on the verso of the same margin corner
Image: 24.125" H x 28.75" W; Sheet: 27.375" H x 31.5" W

Other notes:
This image is also sometimes called "Sundancer Yellow."

Few images in Western Americana are as instantly recognizable as the painted animal skulls created by Boyd Elder. Dubbed "The Most Famous Artist You've Never Heard Of" by Texas Monthly, the Texas "Artlaw" fused the stark poetry of the Southwest with a renegade, countercultural spirit that bridged fine art and rock history.

El Paso-born Elder was interested in art from a young age and took art lessons at the El Paso Museum of Art during high school on nights and weekends. He attended the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles on scholarship, receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1968.

An important 1972 solo show "El Chingadero" held at artist John VanHamersveld's studio in Venice, CA was attended by musicians including Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Mama Cass Elliot and members of the then newly formed band, the Eagles, who also performed at the show. Album cover designer Gary Burden connected the band to the exhibit as he was interested in using Elder's skull imagery for an album.

Ultimately, Elder's iconic skull and lightning-bolt motifs graced three landmark albums by Eagles: "One of These Nights" (1975), "Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)" (1976), and "The Very Best Of" (2003). With more than 65 million copies sold worldwide, these records carried Elder's distinctly Western vision onto turntables across the globe; "Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)" alone achieved 38 million in sales, becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Rooted in West Texas and shaped by his 1960s coming-of-age in Los Angeles, Elder embodied the "Artlaw" ethos of independence, experimentation, and defiant unconventionality. From painted skulls to ambitious mixed media works in resin, foil, and aluminum, his art reflects the vastness, grit, and multicultural spirit of the American Southwest. Elder also explored his iconic subjects in a series of two-dimensional limited-edition color lithographic prints.

Overall good appearance. Full margins with deckled edges. The margins slightly toned. Possible small area of faint stray printer's ink in the center of the right margin. Very pale time staining showing in the deckle of the margin edges, with more noticeable time staining at the top right margin corner and right margin edge. The sheet is loose, not matted.

Unframed
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