Kate Javens: American Beasts

by Margaret Skove, Mia Fineman, Alan Burdick

Painter Kate Javens' Named For series is a collection of creatures--moths, horses, birds, fish--that are named for historical Americans. About Andrew Furuseth, a seaman from the early 1900s who was threatened with a jail sentence for a labor injunction, Javens has written, "When I saw a Dorothea Lange portrait of this beautiful man, I was struck by the crow-ness of his visage. A year-and-a-half after, I found a dead crow on the ground, still warm. I bent over him and said, 'Hello Andrew.'" These animals, according to a recent press release, "…represent, to Javens, an altogether admirable altruism and social activism that deserve to be commemorated." This beautifully produced hardbound publication has a foil embossed linen cover and a full color dust jacket. It includes images from Javens' recent works, as well as earlier series' and her rarely seen studio photography.

156 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2008