Artists & Books

A common complaint among modern U. S. artists is that book illustration has gone to hell. For this some of them might share the blame, since to the naked eye of the average publisher nonrepresentational painting is not much use as illustration. Fact is, however, that the fashion is against any illustrations at all except for children's books--a tendency which reached a little apogee last month when Painter Miguel Covarrubias published a book on Bali, illustrated mostly with photographs by his wife (TIME, Nov. 22).

Last week a somewhat showy light in the East appeared for U. S. artists who would like to do serious illustrations for good books. Foregathered for a grand dinner in the Jade Room of Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria were 300 socialite members of an organization known as The Limited Editions Club, which, for annual dues of $120, has since 1929 been sending them twelve Fine Books a year. Also on hand were four well-known U. S. artists, cherubic John Steuart Curry, swarthy Thomas Benton, freckle-fisted Reginald Marsh and bright-nosed Henry Varnum Poor. To them the Limited Editions Club's suave Director George Macy awarded four $2,000 "fellowships" to support them while each illustrated a suitable U. S. classic, as yet unnamed.

These artists were chosen by a jury composed of Art Writer Thomas Craven, Princeton's Professor Frank Jewett Mather Jr., Chicago Art Institute's Director Robert B. Harshe. Editor Frederic A. Whiting Jr. of the Magazine of Art and TIME Inc.'s President Henry R. Luce. Without waiting on ceremony, the jury had previously awarded a "fellowship" to Artist Grant Wood for a set of illustrations to Main Street. Artist Wood's work, like that of Missourian Benton, Kansan Curry and New Yorkers Marsh & Poor, is for the Limited Editions Club members only.

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