Do you like animals?
The Annual Beautiful Eccentrics Holiday Edition
Dear readers,
As we approach the end of the year, I’m delighted to share that Beautiful Eccentrics, which began on January 1, 2021, has now surpassed 5,000 subscribers.
Nearly half a million words later, I want to express my deep gratitude for your attention, curiosity, and companionship.
I have always imagined this column as a kind of neighborhood walk: no fixed path, no predetermined destination—just the pleasure of moving through a landscape and noticing what is overlooked, under-discussed, or simply strange enough to merit attention.
Your continued readership allows me to keep taking that walk every week, and for that I’m profoundly thankful.
As in previous years, I turn to you for support in sustaining this project.
For this holiday season, I’m offering two special limited editions—one for animal lovers, and one for aficionados of the art world’s more peculiar strategic maneuvers—along with a new book project close to my heart.
1. ARTOONS: Pets and Wildlife
Set of 20 cards (5.5 x 4.4”), signed
Edition of 40 — $150 + shipping
A new collection of classic ARTOONS featuring creatures domestic, wild, and occasionally philosophical.
Perfect for the animal lover with a taste for art world absurdity.
2. Manual of Contemporary Art Style
Set of 10 cards (5 x 7”), signed
Edition of 20 — English and Spanish versions available
$150 + shipping
Adapted from my now-classic etiquette guide to navigating the art world, these cards pair excerpts with instructive chess diagrams—offering a humorous reminder of how the “game” is played.
Special offer:
Purchase both English and Spanish sets and receive a copy of the original Manual de estilo del arte contemporáneo (Editorial Tumbona, 2013).
3. 41 Iluminaciones para armar (en tres partes)
Editorial Impronta, Guadalajara, 2023 (Spanish)
$25 + shipping
A cloth-bound book of 41 prose poems dedicated to my brother, the writer Luis Ignacio Helguera, accompanied by instruction pieces and aphorisms in the form of “study questions.”
Get Pets and Wildlife cards and one Spanish or English edition card set, 41 Iluminaciones and the 2013 edition of the manual for $300 + shipping
Please place your order by replying to this email (PayPal, Venmo, Zelle and other payment methods accepted).
Thank you, as always, for supporting this strange and joyful ecosystem, and for helping preserve the ongoing existence of the Beautiful Eccentrics species.
With gratitude,
Pablo