Our friend Irwin Chusid has let us know about this gorgeous artwork:

...limited-edition silk screen prints of the renowned Jim Flora 1955 Mambo for Cats RCA Victor album cover.

Produced in an edition of 200 by Minneapolis print and design studio Aesthetic Apparatus the prints have been created using Flora archivist Barbara Economon's digital restoration of a vintage printer's proof. They measure 20" x 20" (much larger than the album version), and use three acrylic screen printing inks meticulously matched to Flora's original colors on archival 100-pound off-white cover stock.

Each print is numbered on the front and authenticated on the reverse with stamped seals from Jim Flora Art LLC (a Flora family enterprise) and Aesthetic Apparatus. The trademark "Flora" signature, which did not appear on the original LP cover, has been added in the lower right.

The first 100 numbered copies will be sold for $150 each, unframed. Prices for copies 101 to 200 will be increased as stock is depleted.

Jim Flora (1914-1998) designed dozens of fun--and deftly diabolic--album covers for Columbia Records and RCA Victor during the 1940s and 1950s. The 'Mambo for Cats' design is one of his best-known works; copies of the long-out-of-print LP fetch hundreds of dollars on eBay. A collection of his album covers, commercial assignments, and early letterpress work was published in 'The Mischievous Art of Jim Flora' (Fantagraphics Books, 2004), and a number of album covers are displayed at JimFlora.com. A second book, 'The Curiously Sinister Art of Jim Flora' (Fantagraphics, February 2007), features a selection of Flora's rarely seen early paintings, woodcuts, prints, sketches, and commercial assignments.

Beginning in 2007, Jim Flora Art LLC will issue a series of limited-edition fine-art prints of uncirculated Flora works from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s. These will be sold through the family website, JimFloraArt.com, and limited venues. Dealer inquiries are welcome for the silk screen and fine-art editions.

ORDERING INFO

One-click purchase on eBay. Or drop a note to: Julia@JimFloraArt.com. PayPal accepted.

Prints will be wrapped in protective paper and shipped in high-density mailing tubes via DHL Ground at a cost of $9.00, including insurance. Orders placed for Christmas gift-giving guaranteed to arrive before the holidays.

NOTE FROM AESTHETIC APPARATUS:
Great effort is made to ensure the quality and craftsmanship of each print. Given the organic nature of the screen printing process, small spots or specks are often present on some prints. However, such minute imperfections are common and do not detract or distract from the image itself.