Renee Leshner - Conqueror of the Evil Eye

Renee Leshner - Conqueror of the Evil Eye, by Justin Duerr / 192 page paperback, 6.3 x 9.5 inches

An art book and biography of Philadelphia-based outsider artist Renee Leshner, compiling hundreds of her drawings.

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Justin Duerr: "Renee Leshner (1930-2012) is one of my absolutely favorite artists. Beginning in 2008, my own artwork was shown by a non-profit called Coalition Ingenu, which advocated for and exhibited the work of self-taught artists based in Philadelphia. Renee was a fellow member of this group, and I was immediately drawn to her stark, iconic and haunting work. I included Renee's drawings in my zine, which I'd been producing ad hoc since 1995, from 2008 until her death in 2012. Renee was in her mid 70s when I came to know of her, and relatively reclusive. Her landlord's wife, April Woodall, showed her work to the director of Coalition Ingenu initially, after it was rejected from an exhibit showcasing work by artists age 70 and above. April said that it took some time before Renee trusted her enough to share her artwork. Gradually it was revealed that Renee had amassed hundred and hundreds of drawings of goddesses, deities, vampires, ghouls, sentient clothing, graveyards, and phallic totems that Renee called 'fallicks.' Most of her work was executed in black pen or marker on paper, with a smaller number of colored pencil and pastel drawings. Renee spent decades in artistic seclusion, perfecting an instantly recognizable style, as unique as a fingerprint and utterly transporting."