Exhibit / November 9, 2016

Object Name: Crass (band) logo
Maker and Year: Dave King, circa 1977
Object Type: Logo/graphic design
Image Source: Crass: A History
Description: (Richard McKenna)

This striking logo, which blends symbols of perceived authority including the Christian cross, the swastika, the Union Jack and the ouroboros, was the logo of anarchist art-punk collective Crass, though it was originally designed for a book of poetry by Crass drummer and ideologue Penny Rimbaud by his fellow squatter and communard Dave King. The ubiquity of the cryptic symbol upon walls and clothing in the recession-struck Britain of the late ’70s and early ’80s, as well as its doom-laden association with the band’s commitment to promoting nuclear disarmament through shocking, dissonant images, lyrics, and sounds, made it a potent coat of arms for a generation of confused and frightened young British people.