Author(s): Rebecca Morgan; Amy Sedaris (Foreword by)

Low Brow & Alt Art

The first monograph of the contemporary art world's newest sensation Town and Country is the first monograph dedicated to the work and unique universe of artist Rebecca Morgan. From deep in rural Pennsylvania to the Pratt Institute and back to Pennsylvania, the book traces the journey of this gifted artist as she becomes increasingly famous in the art world, but feels constantly torn between the rural and the urban. Her paintings, drawings, ceramics, and cartoons subvert the stereotypes of Appalachia and are imbued with folk tradition and a sly sense of humor. Stylistically, Morgan embraces the hyper-detailed naturalism of the Dutch masters as well as the absurd, repulsive caricature suggestive of underground cartoonists such as R. Crumb. Although her artwork often contains modern clues, the characters and scenes evoke a romanticized, nostalgic United States, one that is nonexistent but wistfully recalled. With a preface by Amy Sedaris and an essay by poet and art critic John Yau, this book showcases Morgan's most famous paintings and drawings alongside many previously unseen personal documents from her archives, making Town and Country a truly unique and never-before-seen type of art book--a combination of monograph, personal diary, and scrapbook.