Charley Harper: Cardinal Courtship Holiday Cards

Charley Harper (American, 1922–2007) Cardinal Courtship Celebrate the season with these holiday cards, in colors as bold as Charley Harper’s cardinals. With simple geometric shapes, bold color, and a dash of wit, Harper distilled the essence of each creature he painted to its most important details in his unique minimal realist style.

Charley Harper

Midcentury modernist Charley Harper (American, 1922–2007) portrayed the natural world with heart and humor. In vivid colors and simple shapes, his cardinals, ladybugs, and clever critters have become icons of wildlife art. His illustrations were published in magazines and books, notably Ford Times and The Giant Golden Book of Biology. A longtime conservationist, Harper created posters for more than 50 nature- and conservation-oriented organizations. His US National Park Service posters—massive, requiring a year each to paint—showcase delightful depictions of entire ecosystems in a style he defined as “minimal realism.” In his adopted hometown of Cincinnati, his public works are the legacy of an artist truly beguiled by the wild, one whose art was a quiet catalyst for ecological action.