Bob Masse
Biography
Bob Masse is a Canadian (Vancouver, British Columbia) psychedelic poster artist active since the 1960s — among the foremost figures of the Pacific Northwest and Canadian poster scene. He began making posters for folk acts while at art school in Vancouver, then moved into psychedelic work as bands like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and the Steve Miller Band toured through. He spent part of the late 1960s in Los Angeles and San Francisco, absorbing the Fillmore / Family Dog poster culture, before returning to Vancouver in 1969 to produce work for venues such as the Retinal Circus. His style is openly indebted to Art Nouveau and especially Alphonse Mucha — sinuous linework, ornate lettering, a vivid palette. The 1990s poster revival brought renewed demand, and he has since done work for contemporary acts. (His birth year is not reliably documented.)
Why They Matter
Masse is the defining poster artist of Vancouver's 1960s psychedelic scene and one of the most enduring careers in the medium, bridging the original era and its 1990s revival. His Mucha-rooted Art Nouveau approach gives his work a distinct, decorative elegance against the looser San Francisco style, and his longevity makes him a key figure for the Canadian and Pacific Northwest side of the art-rock story.
Notable Works
- 1960s Vancouver psychedelic posters for the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Steve Miller Band
- Retinal Circus and other Vancouver venue posters (post-1969)
- a Newport '69 / Devonshire Downs design — note sources describe a Masse "authorized reprint," so his relation to the original period printing is uncertain
- 1990s revival pieces
- later posters for Tori Amos, the Smashing Pumpkins, Neil Young