Dennis Nolan
Biography
Dennis Arthur Nolan (1945–2022) was born in San Francisco and studied painting and art history at San Jose State University. Early in his career he illustrated rock posters for the Avalon Ballroom / Family Dog circuit, working for locally based bands including the Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company. He went on to a long and distinguished career as a children's-book illustrator and educator, far better documented than his poster work: he established the illustration curriculum at the Hartford Art School in 1985 and taught for roughly three decades, and illustrated numerous books, including a celebrated edition of T.H. White's The Sword in the Stone. He died on August 16, 2022, in Ashfield, Massachusetts.
Why They Matter
One of the few SF poster artists who went on to national prominence in another field — children's-book illustration and arts education. His Avalon posters, marked by Renaissance-inspired figures and detailed scrollwork, are a refined counterpoint to the era's wilder lettering styles.
Notable Works
- FD-72 — Big Brother and the Holding Company (with Janis Joplin), Avalon Ballroom, July 1967 (the "Madonna" poster)
- FD-82 — Grateful Dead, Avalon Ballroom, 1967