hyperkinetic hepcats

'Tis the season to Pete Jolly! A new silk-screen print has been introduced to our growing line of iconic Jim Flora merch—the artist's swirly 1955 RCA Victor EP cover for the Pete Jolly Duo. This sleeve rarely turns up on eBay, and Floraphiles have been known to liquidate 401(k)'s to own battered copies. We don't know much about pianist Jolly or his bassist, but apparently they couldn't quit bopping long enough to sit still for this caught-in-the-act portrait by Flora, who gifted Pete with a pair of bonus arms!

Similar to the Mambo For Cats silk-screen print, the Pete Jolly Duo was produced in a limited edition (125) by Minneapolis print and design studio Aesthetic Apparatus, using Flora archivist Barbara Economon's digital restoration of a vintage printer's proof. Prints measure 20" x 20" (much larger than the 7" x 7" EP version), and use three acrylic screen printing inks meticulously matched to Flora's original colors on archival 100-pound off-white cover stock. Each print is numbered on the front and authenticated on the reverse with stamped seals from Jim Flora Art LLC (a Flora family enterprise) and Aesthetic Apparatus. The name "Flora," which was typeset on the original cover, has been replaced with the trademark "Flora" signature from the period. In addition, the musician's names, which appeared in obtrusive typeset (non-Flora) blocks in the original, have been removed to better highlight the vibrating figures.

The first 50 numbered copies will be sold for $125 each, unframed. Further copies will be priced higher as stock depletes. Prints can be purchased here.