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Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life
Todd Oldham
#UE7752 Hardcover, 405 pages; 2009 $29.95
Members' Price: $25.46

  Don't let this book's relatively compact size (about 6½"x8½") fool you: Designer Todd Oldham's glorious tribute to modern artist Charley Harper (1922-2007) is absolutely filled to the brim with the artist's whimsical talent. You'll find within these pages a lengthy and illuminating 2005 interview with Harper along with photographs of the master at work and of his inspirations, but the majority of this "illustrated life" is told via a multitude of gorgeous reproductions of the artist's works. From the intricately droll illustrations for a 1958 Betty Crocker cookbook to his boldly distinctive nature images for the magazine Ford Times to his famous paintings that showcase his "minimal realist" aesthetic, this pictorial biography reveals the evolution of an artist as distinctive and charming as the images in his vast oeuvre. Fans of Harper's work will cherish this special collection. (AG)