164 174
294
●
JANE BRESKIN ZALBEN.
“She cut bright flat shapes bursting with bold
colors.” Watercolor on paper with collage.
83x89 mm; 3
1
/
4
x3
1
/
2
inches on 12x9 inch
paper. Signed in pencil, lower right margin;
verso contains Zalben’s notes and placement
indications as well as taped laser printed text
appearing on the final sheet. Corners tissue
taped to back board. Printed on page 14 of
“Mousterpiece: A Mouse-Sized Guide to
Modern Art,” New York: Neal Porter/
Roaring Brook Press, 2012.
[700/1,000]
Zalben’s recent book “Mousterpiece” was a
runaway hit, especially at museums where art
programs for children used the story of a small
mouse named Janson (after art historian H.W.
Janson) to introduce them the modern masters.
Janson lives in a museum and learns to paint in
the style of Albers, Rousseau,Warhol, Picasso
and others until she creates her own original work, her “mousterpiece,” and thus “arriving” as an
artist. In this spread she is cutting out collage pieces imitating Matisse’s paper cut-outs, for what
becomes her version of his “Icarus” (see next lot).
295
●
JANE BRESKIN ZALBEN.
Janson Mouse as Henri Matisse’s Icarus.
Paper collage. 178x132 mm; 7x5
1
/
4
inches.
Signed in pencil on mount, lower right.
Image on page 18, facing “She cut bright
flat shapes bursting with bold colors” as
published in “Mousterpiece: A Mouse-
Sized Guide to Modern Art,” New York:
Neal Porter/Roaring Brook Press, 2012.
[1,500/2,500]
295