How much would I enjoy a hefty book about an artist I'd never heard of and an art style I knew little about?

Surprisingly, much more than expected.

Author CJ Cook approaches Leeteg: Babes, Bars, Beaches, & Black Velvet Art with enthusiasm, giving readers a thorough look at the life and legacy of Edgar Leeteg, as well as a social exploration of Tahiti, its history, its culture and, most importantly in this book, its women. The book is densely packed with art -- Leeteg's, of course, but also related pieces by those who influenced or were influenced by him -- as well as many photographs of the people and places described within.

Cook very kindly sent me his latest weighty tome for review, along with copies of two previous books: Tyree: Artist of the South Pacific (2017) and Beauty in the Beast: Flora, Fauna, and Endangered Species of Artist Ralph Burke Tyree (2023). I'll get to them in time, no doubt, but opted to start this journey with his most recent work.

Leeteg, described as the "American Gauguin," was born in Illinois in 1904 and might have lived a quiet and moderately successful life as a sign painter, a job that was much in demand and for which he was well suited. A trip to Tahiti in 1930 sparked a lifelong love affair with the island in French Polynesia, and he spent much of his life there (interspersed with a few interludes in Hawaii and California). He developed a style of painting with oils on black velvet that defined his career, earning him a fair degree of global fame, a modest if not extravagant income, and a great deal of notoriety.

When he wasn't painting, he was seducing native women, drinking, brawling and making deals to sell his art -- at first to tourists, then to collectors back home in the States -- and to procure the materials he needed to continue producing art at a frantic pace. He proved to be lucky in love in the short term, but unable to sustain lengthy relationships. He also found himself dealing with the financial woes of the Great Depression and the Pacific turmoil of World War II, plus -- and perhaps most troublesome of all -- a stern and overbearing mother. Still, he managed to produce a tremendous quantity of art, along with a handful of half-Tahitian children.

The book reproduces a vast selection of Leeteg's artwork, including a fair number of full-page spreads that, while not the same as seeing the art in person, still conveys the images vividly. Many more paintings are included in smaller settings, often alongside the photographs he used to produce them. (Yes, he worked with live models, but he also took photos of his subjects as well as "borrowing" photos from other sources.

Yes, Leeteg openly admitted to using source materials without giving the original artists or photographers proper credit or royalties. So I suppose it's only fair that Leeteg's work was also copied by others or published without credit, which annoyed him no end.

Cook goes to great pains to place Leeteg in a cultural and historical context, and he goes into great detail about the people with whom he interacted, from the many native girls in his life to the prominent authors and actors and art dealers who moved in his orbit. The thoroughness of his research here is admirable. The book reads sometimes like a novel, even including dialogue among friends. Cook doesn't paint Leeteg with a fawning brush, however; he readily admits to the artist's many personal failings, such as alcoholism and racism.

Most importantly, he captures Leeteg's passionate enthusiasm for a place and its people, along with his growing disillusionment as travel to the islands became easier and more affordable. Once a tourist himself, he developed a sharp disdain for casual visitors to his adopted home. As he grew older, he was also increasingly plagued with problems including depression, elephantiasis and syphilis, as well as enduring mommy issues and, in 1953, a senseless death in a motorcycle crash at age 49.

Of course, Leeteg's death only ramped up the public's enthusiasm for his art.

So, did a book about an artist I didn't know and an art style I don't personally enjoy hold my interest? Surprisingly, yes. Leeteg lived an exciting life, approaching his art on his own terms and wringing as much creative joy from the world as he could. He produced some exceptional art that, while I might not hang it on the walls of my home, I must admit is intense, authentic and precise, capturing the zest of a specific time and place that was like no other.

As biographies go, Babes, Bars, Beaches, & Black Velvet Art is a pretty interesting read.