Francesco Clemente: The Tarots

Francesco Clemente, the Italian and American artist, has created a fully illustrated 78-card tarot deck accompanied by a guidebook written by the artist. Housed in a bespoke lidded box, the deck brings together Clemente's distinctive visual language with the symbolic structure of the tarot. Begun in 2008, the watercolor and gouache tarot cards depict family and friends, reflecting relationships central to Clemente's life and creative world. A New York resident since 1981, the artist draws many of his subjects from the city, including in the 22 Major Arcana cards, transforming the traditional tarot into a personal portrait of his community. Figures portrayed include Salman Rushdie, Fran Lebowitz, Jasper Johns, Philip Glass, Diane von Fürstenberg, Colm Tóibín and Scarlett Johansson, as well as artists Brice Marden, Helen Marden and Kiki Smith.