James Avati
Encyclopedia
James Avati was an American illustrator
and paperback
cover
artist. His father was a professional photographer in New York City. His mother died shortly after Jim's birth. He was raised by his aunt (mother's sister) and eventually, his father married her. While Jim was still young, his father died and another aunt and uncle helped to raise him in Little Silver, New Jersey
, where he grew up. His uncle paid for his education at Princeton University
where he obtained a degree in architecture in 1935.
He was always interested in painting and loved to paint. After World War Two, Avati obtained a job designing display window
s at Fifth Avenue department stores in New York. But he continued to paint on the side and in 1948, impressed Kurt Enoch at New American Library, a new paperback publishing house. He was a hit from the beginning and changed the style of cover painting by the early 1950s. Among the authors he worked with included the likes of Theodore Dreiser, William Faulkner, Erskine Caldwell, J. D. Salinger, James T. Farrell, Pearl Buck, John O'Hara, Mickey Spillane, Erle Stanley Gardner, Alberto Moravia, and James Michener.
He quickly became legendary and was highly sought after. He fathered nine children through two marriages, including a son who became a well-known sculptor, James R. Avati, of Salt Lake City, Utah. The photo of Philo Farnsworth to the right is a sculpture by James R. Avati, and is on display in the Hall of Congress Building, Washington, DC.
He used professional models at first but soon used friends, family and people off the streets of Red Bank, New Jersey
, his home for much of his life, as models. He sought reality in his representations on canvas and real people worked for him better than professionals.
Avati eventually moved to Petaluma, California, to pursue a love interest and died (February, 2005) at age 92. He had stopped painting towards the end as he was losing his eyesight due to macular degeneration.
He has been called the "Father of Paperback Book Covers" and the "Rembrandt of Paperback Book Covers". Ironically, his own life mirrored the novels he painted.
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
cover
Book cover
A book cover is any protective covering used to bind together the pages of a book. Beyond the familiar distinction between hardcovers and paperbacks, there are further alternatives and additions, such as dust jackets, ring-binding, and older forms such as the nineteenth-century "paper-boards" and...
artist. His father was a professional photographer in New York City. His mother died shortly after Jim's birth. He was raised by his aunt (mother's sister) and eventually, his father married her. While Jim was still young, his father died and another aunt and uncle helped to raise him in Little Silver, New Jersey
Little Silver, New Jersey
Little Silver is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,950.Little Silver was established with a Kings Land Grant in 1663 and settled in 1667...
, where he grew up. His uncle paid for his education at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
where he obtained a degree in architecture in 1935.
He was always interested in painting and loved to paint. After World War Two, Avati obtained a job designing display window
Display window
A display window is a window in a shop displaying items for sale or otherwise designed to attract customers to the store. Usually, the term refers to larger windows in the front façade of the shop...
s at Fifth Avenue department stores in New York. But he continued to paint on the side and in 1948, impressed Kurt Enoch at New American Library, a new paperback publishing house. He was a hit from the beginning and changed the style of cover painting by the early 1950s. Among the authors he worked with included the likes of Theodore Dreiser, William Faulkner, Erskine Caldwell, J. D. Salinger, James T. Farrell, Pearl Buck, John O'Hara, Mickey Spillane, Erle Stanley Gardner, Alberto Moravia, and James Michener.
He quickly became legendary and was highly sought after. He fathered nine children through two marriages, including a son who became a well-known sculptor, James R. Avati, of Salt Lake City, Utah. The photo of Philo Farnsworth to the right is a sculpture by James R. Avati, and is on display in the Hall of Congress Building, Washington, DC.
He used professional models at first but soon used friends, family and people off the streets of Red Bank, New Jersey
Red Bank, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,844 people, 5,201 households, and 2,501 families residing in the borough. The population density was 6,639.1 people per square mile . There were 5,450 housing units at an average density of 3,055.0 per square mile...
, his home for much of his life, as models. He sought reality in his representations on canvas and real people worked for him better than professionals.
Avati eventually moved to Petaluma, California, to pursue a love interest and died (February, 2005) at age 92. He had stopped painting towards the end as he was losing his eyesight due to macular degeneration.
He has been called the "Father of Paperback Book Covers" and the "Rembrandt of Paperback Book Covers". Ironically, his own life mirrored the novels he painted.
Sources
- Schreuders, Piet. "The Paperback Art of James Avati." Illustration Vol. 1, No.1 (October 2001) — includes a "checklist" of his paperback covers.http://www.illustration-magazine.com/avati.html
- Schreuders, Piet and Fulton, Kenneth. The Paperback Art of James Avati. Hampton Falls, NH: Donald M. Grant. 2005.