Anima Mundi [ Signed Deluxe Limited Edition with Signed Print ]

Mark Ryden

Sierra Madre and San Francisco: Porterhouse Fine Art Editions and Last Gasp, 2001. Signed Limited Edition. Hardcover. Item #5089

A true delight. In Near Fine condition, this limited edition exploring the work of artist Mark Ryden sold out immediately upon release in 2001.

Restricted to a limited run of 500 copies, of which this is number 73. Signed by artist Mark Ryden on the limitation page. The art book is in pristine, collectible condition. Includes a 10x10 signed and numbered giclee print, laid in, also in pristine condition with no flaws. Housed in decorative clamshell box in Fine, collectible condition and without flaws. Includes two pieces of ephemera, both in fine condition (a high quality tasseled book mark and a publisher's calling card).

Mark Ryden, an American painter affiliated with Pop Surrealism, blends themes of pop culture with techniques reminiscent of the old masters, 1950s Little Golden Books and religious motifs.
In his introduction essay about this edition, titled "At Play in the Slaughterhouse of American Pop," Carlo McCormick comments: "No fairy tale is ever worth its weight in pixie dust if it doesn't scare you just a little bit...Mark Ryden's art is driven by startling and radical juxtapositions, none perhaps is as poignant and potent than the continued confrontation that takes place between the bucolic dream-scape of childhood and the innuendo of death."

This particular edition stands out against his usual editions, as it is much larger and features full-page color depictions of his works. Over the last decade, signed Ryden collections in Fine condition have become both scarce and highly collectible. Ryden gained prominence in the 1990s with his solo debut show, "The Meat Show."

Out of stock