Poster for The Clash’s On Parole tour, June/July 1978. Courtesy of The Mott Collection

Toby Mott talks us through his punk archive

Discover the impromptu ways Mott came by his peerless collection of punk graphic design collection in this video

The artist and graphic-design collector Toby Mott amassed his incredible trove of punk rock graphics in a manner befitting the form. A few days ago at the John Varvatos store, Mott described how he came by some of the items in his new book, Oh So Pretty Punk in Print 1976-80, such as this 1978 Clash tour poster, above.

As Mott explains in the accompanying video, there was no real merchandising stand to accompany many of the early UK punk tours, and the only way to acquire works was to remove them from the concert halls once the gig had finished.

Watch this video to hear how Toby followed the band around the country on freezing National Express coaches, and if you like what you see order a copy of Oh So Pretty Punk in Print 1976–80 here.

Oh So Pretty: Punk in Print 1976-1980Toby Mott

A compelling visual portrait of a time, place, and subculture that raised a middle finger to modern society

Oh So Pretty: Punk in Print 1976-80 is an unrivalled collection of visually striking ephemera from Britain’s punk subculture. It presents 500 artefacts - 'zines,' gig posters, flyers, and badges - from well-known and obscure musical acts, designers, venues, and related political groups. While punk was first and foremost a music phenomenon, it reflected a DIY spirit and instantly recognizable aesthetic that was as raw and strident and irrepressible as the music. As disposable as the items in this book once were, together they tell a story about music, history, class, and art, and document a seismic shift in society and visual culture.

Specifications:

Format: Paperback
Size: 280 × 215 mm (11 × 8 1/2 in)
Pages: 512 pp
Illustrations: 550 illustrations
ISBN: 9780714872759

Toby Mott is an artist, designer, collector, and punk historian. He lives in London. Rick Poynor is a writer, critic, curator, and lecturer. He is the author of more than a dozen books, and was the founding member of Eye magazine in London, which he edited from 1990-97.

As featured in Creative Review, Domino, The Globe + Mail, i-D and on Cool Hunting and PopMatters

"Being presented in book form doesn't take away the rawness of these simply created materials, and even the paper mirrors the designs of the originals."—It's Nice That

"An unrivalled collection of artefacts and ephemera... The graphic anarchy and DIY spirit that caused a seismic shift in UK culture."—i-D online

"Broaden(s) the conversation from punk as a musical movement to an exploration of the distinctive visual art style and approach to art-making that emerged from its urgent anarchism." —i-D.Vice

"Picture this: the art of punk in 512 pages... From flyers and fanzines to posters and badges."—Evening Standard

"Punks tore up the rule book and more specifically newspapers to achieve their iconic ransom note look. Graphic and social revolution on the brain."—Love magazine

"An unrivalled collection of rarely seen, visually striking ephemera of Britain's punk subculture... Gives a vivid impression of punk's abrasive and uncompromising style."—Seventh Man

"One of the most rare and comprehensive collections of punk artefacts and graphic artworks in Britain."—Hero

"500 awesome images."—NME (New Musical Express)

"The appeal of punk ephemera is growing among wealthy collectors... Mott points out another reason to carry on collecting: in the internet age the physical evidence of punk is even more precious."—Financial Times Wealth

"Forty years on from the birth of punk [...] it can be difficult to gauge the impact that the movement's visual language had in its early days. Which is where something like The Mott Collection comes into its own... These examples [...] show the emergence of a dynamic and participatory movement in its purest form."—Creative Review online

"Printed on rough unvarnished paper, punk's energy and DIY ethos is captured in everything from posters, flyers and record sleeves to tickets and magazine covers... The raw amateur nature of the disposable material that really captures the creative have-a-go attitude of this short-lived yet incredibly influential movement."—TheDesignFizz.com

"An unrivalled collection of rarely seen, visually fantastic ephemera from the punk era... [Toby Mott's] collection has been described as 'raw, messy and seething with life'. We couldn't agree more."—Tatler.com

"A gorgeous 512-page survey of the birth of British punk."—The Village Voice

"Oh So Pretty takes you back to that gleeful time and reminds us why the punk spirit continues to resonate and inspire new generations of kids to do it themselves-cause if they don't, who will?"—Crave Online