Cooper, Mario (1905–1995)

Painting with Water Color [Association Archive: Inscribed with 3 Original Art Pieces & Letters]

New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1971.

A unique and deeply personal Association Archive centered on Mario Cooper’s seminal instructional work. This copy was gifted and Inscribed by Mario Cooper to Pat Percy, the longtime partner of publisher Ben Raeburn. 

KEY FEATURES
+++ The Artwork: Includes a hand-written note featuring original artwork by Cooper, a "Blue Christmas" card on heavy stock, and a third art card—all in his distinctive hand. 
+++ The Association: Inscribed by Cooper to Pat Percy on the half-title/title page, definitively linking the AWS President to the Horizon Press inner circle. +++ The Correspondence: Accompanied by three hand-addressed envelopes with postmarks (1987, 1991, 1994) proving a sustained creative friendship until the final year of Cooper's life. 
+++ Content: The book itself is Cooper’s primary teaching text, detailing the 'Art-in-Practice' methods that made him a titan of the American Watercolor Society.
+++ Provenance: Retains Pat Percy’s personal address sticker on the dust jacket, documenting its place in the Raeburn/Percy estate.
+++ Specs: 11.25 inches tall / 143 pages / Illustrated throughout with Cooper’s technical demonstrations.

CONDITION: Archive: Fine. The original art pieces and letters are in excellent condition, protected by the book’s pages. The Book: Very Good Minus / Poor Dust JAcket. The book is tight and internally clean, but the dust jacket is in poor condition—heavily toned, taped, and featuring a 'triangle' of loss near the spine and loss at the upper rear corner. Features Pat Percy’s address label on the front panel.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
This archive represents a rare intersection of 20th-century American art and independent publishing.

Mario Cooper, as a long-standing President of the American Watercolor Society, was the 'Dean' of the medium. His correspondence with Pat Percy—who managed the complex legacies of Horizon Press and Frank Lloyd Wright—highlights the intimate social fabric of the New York art world.

To find Cooper’s instructional text acting as a 'mailbox' for his own original sketches is a remarkable discovery. It provides primary evidence of his late-style techniques and his personal devotion to the Raeburn/Percy circle.

SUBJECTS: Mario Cooper, American Watercolor Society, Pat Percy, Horizon Press, Ben Raeburn, Watercolor Technique, American Illustration, 20th Century Correspondence. Association Copy, Original Art, Correspondence Archive, Art Instruction, Ephemera.

Item #21543

Price: $825.00