Throughout most of Hunter S. Thompson’s career, illustrator Ralph Steadman rode shotgun on the bending antennae of the author’s ragtop ’70s Caddy. Whenever fresh perdition ensued, he transmitted it to ink on paper. Now, admirers and initiates can see 149 of his works in a retrospective that spans 60 years. After a run at the American University Museum in Washington, D.C., which begins on September 7, it will travel to other institutions around the country. Steadman’s illustrations, including those for a biography of his hero, Leonardo da Vinci, are as recognizable as the works of Edward Gorey and R. Crumb. Viewers of this exhibition may leave with a new appreciation of Steadman’s artistic versatility. But ultimately, all roads lead back to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. On his creative adventure with Thompson, he has said, “I was continually standing on the brink of annihilation and self-destruction, but never went over the edge.” —Steve Garbarino