Artist Kim MacConnel gave us a treasured copy of Mythologies by Roland Barthes that he kept in the trunk of his first car: a 1967 Citroen. Or, is it a replica of a long-lost favorite book that (you guessed it) was kept in the trunk of MacConnel’s car? When you read his explanatory note tucked inside, it actually makes a whole lot of sense. Includes simulated grease stains, hand-written notes, a photo of MacConnel’s first car, and a Citroen rubber gasket in original packaging.

Kim MacConnel is a San Diego based painter and seminal member of the Pattern & Decoration movement. His work is trademarked with brightly colored, loosely rendered patterns borrowed from other cultures or invented, as well as cartoonish clip-art images of contemporary American life and technology. Since the mid 70s, he has been educating students at University of California in San Diego where he has recently retired. He is represented by Rosamund Felsen Gallery in Santa Monica.