AIDS Crisis [Spanish-language]

[New York]: ACT Up / Gang, [1990]. Offset lithograph. 20 ½ x 13 ½ in. Crease mark to top left corner; else near fine. Item #6374

The exceedingly rare Spanish-language poster designed by ACT UP and the artist collective Gang, protesting President George H.W. Bush. Bush continued the genocidal practices of his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, ignoring the AIDS crisis and refusing to comment on the epidemic until more than a year into office.

Designed to mimic the layout and typography of a Marlboro advertisement (ACT UP was also actively protesting Philip Morris for their support of homophobic Senator Jesse Holms), this poster maligns Bush’s cowboy identity and his healthcare policy.

The text reads “Aviso: Mientras que Bush gasta billones jugando a vaquero, 37 millones de norte Americanos no tienen seguro medico. Un norte americano muere de SIDA cada ocho minutos.” Translating roughly as “While Bush spends billions playing cowboy, 37 million Americans have no health insurance. One American dies of AIDS every eight minutes.”

A remarkably well-preserved and rare example of Spanish-language AIDS activism in New York.

Sold