An Artist's America

Like a gallery show, pop artist Albert's first book immerses readers in his striking collages, which are constructed mostly from instantly recognizable materials like Cheerios boxes, KFC buckets and the like. The power of the art derives partially from the instant recognition of these items—viewers cannot help identifying these logos, no matter how elaborately they are reorganized or obscured. But Albert also puts his technique to political and social purposes: Ronald McDonald, Snap, Crackle and Pop, and Mr. Peanut are among the hundreds of characters in an elaborate Last Judgment ; 56 icons, from Charlie Brown to Mr. Clean, represent the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Most spreads pair one or two works with an artist's statement, while the last pages explain Albert's process step by step, encouraging readers to make their own collages. Characters created for the author's Sir Real line of organic fruit juices (and a lengthy description of the company) appear as well, mostly in context; a photo of Sir Real juices on store shelves, however, crosses into product placement. Ages 7–up. (May)