Silver Jews’ American Water Artwork Prints and Paintings Being Sold by Original Artist

Chris Kysor is the artist behind the painting on the cover of David Berman’s 1998 Silver Jews classic American Water. Today, starting at 12 p.m. Eastern, Kysor is selling prints and new painting reproductions of that artwork for the first time. In addition to a limited edition run of 225 prints sized 20″ x 16″, there will be multiple paintings available in a variety of sizes. Find them at Cluster Wall Gallery.

Kysor was a childhood friend of Berman’s, and in 1998, Berman saw the painting for the first time in Kysor’s Williamsburg, Brooklyn studio. Berman was recording American Water at Rare Book Room at the time and asked Kysor for permission to use the painting as his album’s cover.

Berman died in 2019 at the age of 52. That same year, he released his sole album under the name Purple Mountains. Following the news of Berman’s death, many artists paid tribute to the late poet and songwriter.

Read “David Berman Changed the Way So Many of Us See the World” on the Pitch.

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