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1985 Bateman Map of the World's Ocean Floors
WorldOceanFloor-bateman-1985$125.00
Title
The Ocean Floor.
1985 (dated) 35.5 x 35.5 in (90.17 x 90.17 cm)
1985 (dated) 35.5 x 35.5 in (90.17 x 90.17 cm)
Description
This is Earl C. Bateman III's visually stunning 1985 large-format map of the topography of the world's ocean floor, published by Celestial Arts.
A Closer Look
Bateman's map challenges the viewer to drastically shift their perspective, shading the continents blue and the oceans brown in an inversion of a typical convention. Just as disorienting, the globe's surface is not presented in a continuous projection; instead, the Southern Hemisphere appears at the top (with north at the top) centered on the Atlantic Ocean, and then the Northern Hemisphere appears at the bottom (also with north at the top) centered on the Pacific Ocean. In order for this projection to retain scientific precision, Bateman includes a dual listing of longitude in a bar at the location of the Equator. Four inset globes appear in the corners: at the top left, providing a topographic key for the main map, corresponding to indexes along the left side; a similar tectonic key at the bottom right, corresponding with an index along the right; a view of the globe centered on the North Pole at the top-right; and one centered on the South Pole at the bottom-left. Explanatory text appears at the top, small statistical tables appear throughout, and a profile demonstration of tectonics appears at the bottom. As Bateman explains in the text at the top, a special ink has been used so that the portions of the map displaying tectonic plates will glow in the dark.Publication History and Census
This map was prepared by Earl C. Bateman III and published in 1985 by Celestial Arts of Berkeley, California (though, curiously printed in Switzerland by an unnamed printer). The map is well-represented in institutional collections but less common on the market.CartographerS
Earl C. Bateman III (c. 1954 - present) is a visual artist, media executive, art gallery director, and real estate agent based in New York City. He graduated with an art degree from the University of Hartford and worked as a visual artist for several years before joining the television and film industries, producing on-air graphics used in broadcasts and films, including a position as Graphics Director at CBS in the early 1990s. He then managed an art gallery in New York in the mid-Aughts before earning his real estate license and working in the field of commercial real estate, focusing on art galleries. In terms of cartographic and related visual production, Bateman is best known for his striking and innovative designs produced in tandem with the California publisher Celestial Arts in the mid-late 1980s, including a fascinating projection of the world's ocean floor, views of the world's rainforests, and a representation of the various space stations launched in the late 20th century. More by this mapmaker...
Celestial Arts (c. 1967 - 2010) is a San Francisco Bay Area publisher that has been located in Berkeley and Millbrae at different points in its history. Founded by Hal Kramer (d. 2008) as a 'New Age' publisher in the counterculture climate of late 1960s San Francisco, the company has produced a wide range of printed works and was especially known in its early years for political broadsides and posters made for rock bands. The company was acquired by prominent film produced Gary Kurtz (1940 - 2018) and then, in 1983, sold to Ten Speed Press (founded 1971), which was in turn acquired by Random House in 2019 and is now part of their Crown Publishing Group division of Random House. Publications under the imprint of Celestial Arts dropped off over the years and appear to have ceased altogether around 2011. Learn More...
Condition
Very good. Wear along edge.
References
Rumsey 13369.000.OCLC 13368369.