Hair

This picture is the finished drawing for the poster of the Spanish production of the well known musical Hair. The play was scheduled to open in Madrid in the early 1970s, a time when Bravo lived in Spain and had achieved a reputation as a society portrait painter. The production was never realized since the strict censorship under the Franco regime kept a close watch on theatre and particularly, the presentation of foreign works. The police interrupted the rehearsals and arrested some of the cast members, including the male sitter depicted in this work. Under charges of immoraltiy, this effectively put an end to the possibility of bringing to the Spanish stage a play that had also brought much controversy to its first American audiences, but that nevertheless remains undeniably representative of its time.

At around the same time, the Galería Vourdes in Madrid, while having an exhibit of Bravo's erotic works, was raided by the Spanish police. His well known painting 'Infanta' was confiscated during this raid. (1)


1. Edward J. Sullivan, Claudio Bravo, Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., New York, 1985, p. 160