Beauty in the Beast: Flora, Fauna, and Endangered Species of Artist Ralph Burke Tyree

Ralph Burke Tyree was a prolific artist who helped popularize Polynesian art in the 20th century. Beauty in the Beast is the story of Tyree’s creative genius in painting flora and fauna, including colorful and exotic animals from around the world, many of which are endangered species. Raised in California’s Central Valley, Tyree received his art education in San Francisco. He joined the Marines after the start of World War II and deployed to Samoa in the South Pacific, where Private Tyree was designated the resident artist of the Marine base. He returned to California after the war, married his high school sweetheart, Margo, started a family, and began to work as a professional artist in California and the Pacific Rim. He depicted the idyllic beauties in beach or jungle settings with tropical flora, notably plumeria and hibiscus, adorning the hair of his subjects. Initially, he primarily painted with oils on board, but in 1960 Tyree switched mediums and began painting with oils on fine black velvet to add depth and texture. In 1970, when the first Earth Day sparked the environmental movement of the 1970s, and DDT threatened the bald eagle and other birds of prey with extinction, endangered animals entered his repertoire. For the next decade, his primary interest was oil painting these majestic creatures on both board and velvet, bringing awareness to their declining numbers. Tyree died in 1979 at 57. Published to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Beauty in the Beast explores the works of the last ten years of Tyree’s life when animals became his focus. Some endangered species covered are the pangolin, cotton-top tamarin, ornate Hawk-eagle, dwarf lemur, red panda, slow loris, and several big cats, including tigers, lions, and leopards. A tribute to the artistic brilliance of Ralph Burke Tyree and the animals and plants of our planet, Beauty in the Beast begins with a quote by Albert Einstein that evokes one of the greatest challenges of our “Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” "Cook and Paige Herbert (the artist’s granddaughter) reproduce in this gorgeous assemblage of vividly colored works, dozens of Tyree’s paintings from the last decade of his life. The heart of the volume is the paintings themselves, which are startlingly vibrant—saturated colors take on a striking depth and texture when Tyree paints with oil on French silk black velvet. The authors’ mastery of the subject is magisterial—this book is a remarkable feat of artistic scholarship. For those who are already familiar with Tyree’s massive body of work, as well as those who have never heard of him, this volume is a visually arresting portal into his mature paintings. A beautiful art book filled with rigorously researched commentary.” – Kirkus Reviews “Beauty in the Beast is not only CJ Cook and Paige Herbert’s tribute to Ralph Burke Tyree’s brilliant artwork but also the culture, tradition, and wildlife conservation in Tyree’s art." – Jeffery R. Zuba, DVM, Zoo and Wildlife veterinarian, San Diego Zoo (retired) “When Ralph Burke Tyree turned his amazing talent to the endangered animals of the world, he expanded his impact from art to conservation. Thank you, CJ Cook, for capturing Tyree's portraits of nature in one gorgeous, evocative volume that challenges us to also work to protect these gems of nature.” – Karla Olson, Publisher, Patagonia “My father, Dr. Kurt Benirschke, was the creator of the ‘Frozen Zoo’ at the San Diego Zoo, and his pioneering efforts led to the preservation of many endangered species. His work developed in me a lifelong love of animals that is celebrated through the creative text and breathtaking art in Beauty in the Beast.” – Rolf Benirschke, San Diego Chargers 1977-86, NFL Man of the Year, and author of Saving Wildlife