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Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

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Sorry, It's Sold

The Virgin And The Barfly

Artist:George Gross
Date:1950
Medium:Gouache on illustration board
Dimensions:Sight size 16 5/8" x 12 15/8" Framed 18 1/4" x 22 1/4"
Condition:Excellent
Original Use:Cover for Quarter Book #57 – The Virgin And The Barfly
Price: Sold
Full view of gouache on illustration board painting
Full view of gouache on illustration board painting

 

The Virgin And The Barfly Quarter Books #57 - 1950
The Virgin And The Barfly Quarter Books #57 - 1950

Dating to 1950, this dazzling colorful original paperback cover was painted by George Gross for Quarter Books #57, The Virgin And The Barfly. Illustrating a scene from the novel by Gerald Foster (one of many likely pseudonyms of the prolific Peggy Gladdis), this is a splashy, trashy, and altogether irresistible example of sleaze paperback art.  Quarter Books was a leading publisher of the digest paperback lurid pulp fiction titles which were all the rage in the early 1950s.  At the time George Gross created this boldly colorful and eye-catching artwork, pin-up girl cover scenes such as this proliferated news stands and low-brow bookstores across the country. Spanning the era between the pulp magazine heyday and rise of the Men's magazine genre, (for which George Gross would go on to work) the sleaze paperback publishers gravitated to a particularly reckless and wanton style of cover art, of which this is an outstanding example. A ravishing full-figured brunette who is styled after pin-up bombshell Jane Russell practices her not-so-subtle art of seduction at a swank mid-century modern Tiki bar.  After all, as the slug at the bottom of the published cover reads, "There's Only One Way For A Gorgeous Gal Without Money To Pay A Debt..."  and this heroine is looking to get out of the red as soon as possible.

Detail
Detail

 

Detail "The Virgin"
Detail "The Virgin"

 

Framed View
Framed View

George Gross got his start in the 1940s working for various pre-war pulp titles creating covers for titles such as Action Stories, Detective Book Magazine, Jungle Stories and countless others. After the war George Gross began to sell freelance illustrations to paperback books from such publishers as Dell, Star Books, Lion Books, Bantam, Berkley Books, Cameo Books,  Ace Publications and Quarter Books. In the 1950s George Gross shared an art studio with the illustrator, Mort Kunstler, on White Street in the Tribeca warehouse section of Lower Manhattan. He also worked for Men's adventure magazines, such as Male, Cavalcade, Action For Men, Argosy, Bluebook, Man's Conquest, Man's Illustrated, Man's World, Real, Saga, See, Stag, and True Adventures. George Gross later painted covers for The Avenger series of paperback books, published by Warner Paperbacks, and painted covers for the popular Nick Carter series of paperbacks for Ace Publications.

verso notations and artist's name George Gross in center of board
verso notations and artist's name George Gross in center of board
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The Virgin And The Barfly

Artist: George Gross
Price:  Sold

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, George Gross, noir, original cover art, paperback, pin up, pulp, sleaze, The Golden Gallery
Added to Gallery: April 8, 2014

 

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    About Grapefruit Moon Gallery

    Grapefruit Moon Gallery, based in Minneapolis MN, specializes in vintage pin up and original illustration art.  We are the proud home of the Bunny Yeager archives.

    Since 2003, Grapefruit Moon Gallery has been a leading dealer of exclusive original paintings by Gil Elvgren, Alberto Vargas, Earl Moran, Rolf Armstrong and Henry Clive, as well as vintage photographs, prints, and period decorative arts in ceramic and metal.

    All artworks featured are original, accurately represented, and guaranteed to be the work of the named artist.

    Interested buyers may view pieces by appointment and we are happy to answer any questions you may have. [Contact Us]

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