Peven, Michael. Manmade Wonders. Erotic faux matchbooks by Michael Peven. With extras.

Artist's publication by Peven (1949-2017), 1979. Edition of 250, as new. Set of six matchbooks, 11.5 x 15.5 cm. each. Paper wraps, staple bound. Offset printed in color. Signed in facsimile, unnumbered. A set of six oversize faux matchbooks featuring well known U.S. landmarks and monuments on the front flip cover. Set entitled, “Snatches,” and includes “Arch Angel,” “Blue Tips,” “Hot Heads,” “Golden Showers,” “Bridging the Gap,” and “Giving Heads.” Titles suggest the sometimes pornographic color photographs under the (matchbook) covers. Comes with a conventional matchbook of the Hoover Dam, signed by Peven in 1979, when I acquired the set directly from him by mail. Accompanied by an exhibition announcement, “Michael Peven: Photographic Works,” Feb. 2-27, 1980, Southern Light Gallery, Amarillo College, very good with staple holes, chip at edge, and mailing label. [Peven was a Professor of Art at the University of Arkansas and was active in the Society for Photographic Education. He published a limited edition book, Prophesy Panorama (A Cultural Nighmare) in 1982.]

Michael Peven (1949–2017) was an American photographer, artist's bookmaker, installation artist, and educator known for his conceptually provocative and humor-infused explorations of alternative photographic processes and print media.Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Peven received his Bachelor of Arts in Design from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his Master of Fine Arts in Photography and Artist's Books from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1977, he joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas, where he taught for four decades, served as chair of the Department of Art, and mentored generations of artists until his death. Peven’s artistic practice defied conventional medium boundaries, incorporating handmade artist books, non-silver printing techniques, digital imagery, sculpture, and large-scale installations that critically examined mass media, consumer culture, historical narratives, and political satire. A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mid-America Arts Alliance, his work was widely exhibited internationally and is held in prominent permanent collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.