An original KidSuper (Colm Dillane) artwork inspired by Dead & Company, a Grateful Dead spin-off band fronted by John Mayer, is being auctioned at the Las Vegas Sphere. The piece, titled Touch of Color (2024), is featured at the Dead Forever Experience during the band’s final performances in Las Vegas at the Sphere. The auction, hosted on Artsy, is now open for bidding and will conclude on August 16th.
KidSuper, born in New York in 1991, emerged as a notable figure in the fashion world in the early 2010s when he founded KidSuper Studios in Brooklyn. His fashion brand became known for blending elements of art and fashion to create expressive pieces. In January 2023, Dillane became the first guest Menswear designer for Louis Vuitton, debuting a collection in Paris.
Touch of Color aims to encapsulate the spirit and history of Dead & Company using the vibrant, surreal imagery associated with the band’s legacy. KidSuper’s painting features a skeletal figure as an artist amid a colorful backdrop, complete with a palette and brush in hand and a crown of red roses atop its head. The artwork is a direct reference to the Grateful Dead “skull and roses” logo designed by Stanley “Mouse” Miller and Alton Kelley in the 1960s. The piece has an estimate of $100,000.
Proceeds from the KidSuper and Dead & Company auction will benefit Dead Family Organizations—a collective supporting various charitable endeavors connected to the community and values of the Grateful Dead and Dead & Company.
