Leeteg: Babes, Bars, Beaches + Black Velvet Art by CJ Cook

Labeled Leeteg the Legend + often called the American Gauguin, Edgar Leeteg was the father of black velvet art + the genesis of a genre continuing today with the tiki + Polynesian pop art movement. Describing himself as a “fornicating, gin-soaked, dope-head,” Leeteg took on the elite of the art establishment of Honolulu Academy of Arts in 1938 + shamed them in the press. Always the shrewd promoter + a creative genius, Edgar Leeteg possessed many titles, while astounding fans + antagonizing critics. This is a biography of the artist, who left California in 1933 bound for the South Pacific, where he painted nudes + drank + partied with sensual vahines from the beaches to the bars of Tahiti-the original Rascal in Paradise! Hardcover. 256 pages.