ART-038 Jack Levine & James A. Michener — "Facing East" Deluxe Portfolio #70/2500, Signed, 65 Pieces, Maecenas Press / Random House, 1970

A rare and remarkable deluxe limited edition portfolio — Facing East by James A. Michener (American, 1907–1997) and Jack Levine (American, 1915–2010) — Number 70 of only 2,500 copies, signed by both the author and the artist. Published by Maecenas Press / Random House, New York, 1970, with printing in New York and Paris. Original retail price: $600 (approximately $5,000 in today's value).

Jack Levine (1915–2010) was one of America's foremost Social Realist painters and printmakers, celebrated for his satirical paintings of political corruption, biblical narratives, and modern life. His work is held in permanent collections including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. James A. Michener (1907–1997) was one of the bestselling American authors of the 20th century, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for *Tales of the South Pacific*, and a passionate art collector whose collection was donated to the University of Texas. Their collaboration on *Facing East* — a meditation on Japan and its art traditions — is one of the most ambitious artist–author collaborations of the post-war era.

This portfolio (Number 70 of 2,500 — a desirably low early number) comprises 65 pieces in total:

Contents

• 53 sketches, paintings and watercolors — from Levine's sketchbook, reproduced by phototypie and pochoir processes at Atelier Daniel Jacomet, Paris; each plate hand-colored using between 2 and 40 colors, on Ingres Cover Fabriano watermarked paper. Some pieces have printed titles; some are signed.
• 11 loose book pages, folded in half, some printed on all 4 sides — text by James A. Michener
• 1 Portfolio — Measures 13" × 19.25"
• Book signed by both Michener and Levine

Note: Complete copies of Facing East typically include 4 original lithographs (Bank Street Atelier, New York) and original woodcuts (Fequet et Baudier, Paris) in addition to the sketchbook. Please review all photographs carefully for a complete inventory of this copy's contents.

Details

• Artists/Authors: Jack Levine (American, 1915–2010) and James A. Michener (American, 1907–1997)
• Title: Facing East
• Publisher: Maecenas Press / Random House, New York, 1970
• Edition: Number 70 of 2,500 signed copies
• Signatures: Signed by both author and artist
• Contents: 65 pieces total — 53 sketchbook plates + 11 text pages + portfolio
• Paper: Ingres Cover Fabriano (watermarked)
• Portfolio size: 13" × 19.25"