Book Review: James Jean's Eternal Spiral

Another James Jean masterpiece, of course

Eternal Spring is the companion artbook for the similarly named exhibition that was held at the Modern Art Museum Shanghai from 12 November 2023 until 12 February 2023.

And since this is a exhibition companion artbook, it's only available in limited copies. And since this is a James Jean artbook, it's gonna be sold out very quickly, just like his earlier artbook Eternal Journey.

If you are a collector of James Jean art or a fan, you have to follow his Instagram page because otherwise you won't get the latest update on his new work, or book. Actually James Jean announced this book in April 2024 and it was promptly sold out from his online store. So only the lucky few will be able to find physical copies at bookstores. I've searched online and the only websites that sell this at time of review are Outre Gallery, Giant Robot and Basheer Graphic Books.

This book is a 284-page cloth-bound hardcover published by Gallery ALL. The ISBN number is 9788988181101. The paper used is low gloss and binding seems good.

There are several essays in the book talking about James Jean's work and influence.

The artworks in this book are stunning, as expected. They are printed satisfyingly big and there are even a few foldout pages for the larger works. There's one holographic artwork included, as in a literal holographic print pasted onto the pages. Some photos from the exhibition are also included.

James Jean is such a prolific artist and it seems that he's now into creating art from museums. Eternal Journey, his earlier artbook, was also a exhibition companion artbook.

James Jean is still into the surreal fantasy style. Every piece of work will make you think about what he's trying to show, what's the story and what are the characters thinking. This is probably what separates him from other technically accomplished artists. I always get the "What's going on here. I need to see more" feeling whenever I see his works.

This is an awesome book, one of 2024's best.

Grab it instantly if you find it.

This book was borrowed from Basheer Graphic Books for review purposes. You can order the book from them. Check with Basheer on Facebook.