King of Beasts: A Study of the African Lion - Deluxe Edition - Signed by John Banovich

Limited Edition of 400
Leather-bound books with gold foil-stamping,
Signed and numbered by John Banovich.

Following best seller and award-winning book “Beast" we are pleased to announce the release of "King of Beasts" by John Banovich. Featuring 208 large format pages, “King of Beasts” illustrates the dramatic artwork of John Banovich, all focused on depicting the extraordinary African Lion. An internationally recognized artist who has studied lions for decades, Banovich has selected a body of work that pays homage and explores questions about mankind’s deep fear, love, and admiration for these creatures.

John Banovich believes he was born to tell the lion’s story—from its ancient past to its troubling future. And on these pages, he tells that story the best way he knows how—by painting it.

Over his illustrious 26-year career as an award winning artist and one of the world’s foremost contemporary naturalists, John has continued to draw and paint the African lion more than any other subject, simply because no other animal speaks to him quite the same way.

“Have you ever felt something so deep and visceral that you know in your heart without question that it is a world you want to be in—a relationship you want? Kind of like falling in love is the best way I can describe it. That’s how the lion made me feel.”

And that’s precisely why Banovich and Live Oak Press have teamed up to produce King of Beasts: A Study of the African Lion. On these pages you will discover 134 paintings and 20 sketches of lions and other beasts of the veldt. Every one of these captivating images originated in Africa, where John has observed and, in some cases, studied more than 2,500 individual lions in the wild.

In this amazing book, author David Cabela writes: “Lions may be subject to more legend and lore than any other animal on the planet.” He goes on to delve deeply into the lion’s life, providing a fascinating array of facts about the world’s most sociable wild feline and its constant fight for survival. Later, in another chapter, he provides an in-depth look into the different efforts to protect the African lion. “We can choose to work together to find ways to preserve habitat and conserve lions, or we can continue to watch the species decline to extinction,” he writes.

Viewers of John’s paintings invariably feel an emotional reaction to his lions and see virtues and vices and feelings that may or may not be there. Maybe it is our deep desire to connect with the world outside of ourselves. Or maybe John Banovich just paints lions the way we are supposed to see them, because maybe there is a little bit of the lion in each one of us.

Foreword by Jack Hanna
Preface by Laurence Frank, Ph.D.
Prologue by Alejandro Grajal, Ph.D.
Writing by David Cabela

Two editions available, each signed by John Banovich.