THOMPSON, HUNTER S. and BENTON, THOMAS W.
Thompson For Sheriff. [Aspen: after 1970]. An original silkscreened three-color poster, pencil signed by the artist Thomas W. Benton in the margin, inscribed "To Taylor" and initialed "H.S.T." in gold ink within the image at lower right. 26 x 20 inches (65 x 50 cm); framed. Very fine with dark colors and a bold inscription. A short tear to the upper right corner expertly mended.

THE MOST ICONIC POSTER OF THE FREAK POWER MOVEMENT. The most recognizable emblem of Hunter S. Thompson's 1970 bid for sheriff of Aspen, Colorado is undoubtedly the white badge with a red fist clenching a green peyote button. This powerful design was one of the most prevalent on the campaign trail itself and in an excellent period photograph Thompson can be seen having his head shaved beneath a copy. Rarely encountered signed by the artist Thomas W. Benton and with the presentation inscription from Thompson. Without a doubt, Thompson For Sheriff is a desirable artifact of a most important American counterculture political movement.

Thompson returned from the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago disgusted by the violent suppression of political protests by law enforcement and the observable disconnect between corrupt government officials and the people. At home in Aspen, Thompson was also appalled to witness hippies and intellectuals subjected to absurd arrests and abuses of power. In 1969, at Thompson's suggestion, "hippie lawyer" Joe Edwards ran for mayor of Aspen. Thompson covered the election for Rolling Stone, writing himself into the pivotal gonzo article The Battle of Aspen by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (Candidate for Sheriff). Despite Edwards' defeat, Hunter S. Thompson decided to act, pulling aside the cloak of journalism and inserting himself into the political sphere.

Thompson said: "It's a dangerous situation when the enforcement arm is totally out of communication with the reality. It's time we either bridge that chasm with some kind of realistic law enforcement, or else I don't think it's going to be bridged in this country. We're going to have a revolution."

Thompson's campaign was radical, organized, controversial and legendary. His platform had six points: 1) Rip up the streets and replace them with sod; 2) Change the name of Aspen to Fat City to deter "greedheads, land-rapers and other human jackals from capitalizing on the name 'Aspen'; 3) Punish dishonest dope dealers; 4) Only allow residents to hunt and fish in the area to create a game preserve and to stop the "blood-thirsty geeks keep swarming in here each autumn to shoot everything they see"; 5) The sheriff and deputies are to be unarmed; and 6) "It will be the policy of the Sheriff's office savagely to harass all those engaged in any form of land-rape."

Thompson further vowed to fire the conservative officials that held a majority in local government. He shaved his head bald to be distinct from his "long-hair" adversaries. When a major dynamite theft happened in the area, a threat was received that Aspen's City Hall would be blown up only if Thompson won the election. To counter the Freak Power movement, the Republican and Democrat candidates for sheriff agreed not to run against one another, rendering victory an uphill battle for Thompson. On election night, his Owl Farm compound was turned into a campaign headquarters protected by armed guards. Thompson took the news of his defeat in stride and offered (with an American flag around his neck): "Unfortunately, I proved what I set out to prove ... that the American Dream really is f_cked."

The silkscreened posters created by Thomas W. Benton for Thompson's campaign are rare and iconic with this the most identifiable. The image graces the cover of the Daniel Joseph Watkins' 2015 book Freak Power: Hunter S. Thompson's Campaign for Sheriff and was the lead image in the New York Times March 2021 review of Watkins' exhibition at Poster House (See The Great Art Behind Hunter S. Thompson's Run for Sheriff, in New York Times, 4 March 2021).