Charley Harper: Tree of Life 500-piece Jigsaw Puzzle

Charley Harper (American, 1922–2007) Tree of Life, 1961 Over billions of years, a great diversity of life has filled our oceans, skies, forests, and grasslands. Marine biologists have gazed in wonder at the canny anglerfish, the dazzling nudibranch, and a vast array of living corals; ornithologists have admired the red-headed woodpecker and the ruffed grouse; botanists have traced the family history connecting the fern, the morning glory, the sunflower, and the palm. To convey his teeming conception of the tree of life, Charley Harper chose 102 plants and animals, including even a bacterium, a fungus, and a fine golden pear, for this composition—a fun and fascinating 500-piece puzzle.

Charley Harper

Midcentury modernist Charley Harper (American, 1922–2007) portrayed the natural world with heart and humor. In vivid colors and simple shapes, his cardinals, ladybugs, and clever critters have become icons of wildlife art. His illustrations were published in magazines and books, notably Ford Times and The Giant Golden Book of Biology. A longtime conservationist, Harper created posters for more than 50 nature- and conservation-oriented organizations. His US National Park Service posters—massive, requiring a year each to paint—showcase delightful depictions of entire ecosystems in a style he defined as “minimal realism.” In his adopted hometown of Cincinnati, his public works are the legacy of an artist truly beguiled by the wild, one whose art was a quiet catalyst for ecological action.