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Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

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Sorry, It's Sold

Frontispiece from House Made of Dawn

Artist:Bart Forbes
Date:1977
Medium:Watercolor with gouache highlights
Dimensions:Framed dimensions: 27.25" x 23" | Image dimensions: 24.25" x 19.75"
Condition:Fine
Original Use:Frontispiece illustration for The Franklin Library's publication of House Made of Dawn
Price: Sold
Full view of watercolor painting. The published frontispiece from House Made of Dawn.
Full view of watercolor illustration

Original Illustration from House Made of Dawn, by Bart Forbes

This original watercolor illustration by Bart Forbes is a surreal, dreamlike collage of Native American figures, the American flag, a wild stallion, and a soaring bird all coalescing together against a nondescript, desert-colored background of jagged outcroppings and towering pillars of rock and stone.

This beautifully rendered painting was featured as the frontispiece in the 1977 Franklin Library publication of House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday.

This piece is professionally framed behind glass in its original wood frame with Franklin Library ink stamps on verso.

The illustration is signed by the artist in the lower left corner of the image.

Detailed view of watercolor illustration showing the artist's signature
Artist’s signature
Framed view of watercolor illustration
Framed view of watercolor illustration

The Franklin Library’s Original Illustration Commissions

From its founding in 1973 until its closing in 2000 The Franklin Library produced public domain classic books as well as some limited first editions, releasing them in subscription series such as The First Edition Society. Often released in parallel series including leather bound and a non-leather bound (leatherette), the books were handsomely bound and included numerous original illustrations from contemporary artists.

Detailed view of watercolor showing a Native American figure
Detail
Detailed view of watercolor featuring a stallion and soaring bird
Detail

House Made of Dawn

American painter and illustrator Bart Forbes (b. 1939) was specially commissioned to create a series of interior illustrations for The Franklin Library’s 1977 publication of the novel House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday.

The novel is widely credited as leading the way for the breakthrough of Native American literature into the mainstream. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1969 and has also been noted for its significance in Native American anthropology.

View of published frontispiece
As seen in House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday, published by The Franklin Library © 1977 (NOT INCLUDED IN SALE)
View of the back of the framed painting
Verso view

About the Artist, Bart Forbes

Bart Forbes (born July 3, 1939 in Altus, OK) is an American painter and illustrator. He has worked for most of the popular magazines, amongst them TIME and Sports Illustrated, Ladies Home Journal, McCalls, Golf Digest, as well as a broad selection of corporate clients. His wide variety of works include postage stamps for the US Postal Service, Time Magazine’s Man of the Year article on Jimmy Carter, paintings of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, theme paintings for the PGA tournaments and club houses and paintings of the Dallas Cowboys for Jerry Jones private jet. He was the recipient of the 1986 Sport Artist of the Year Award given annually by the American Sport Art Museum and Archives. The Sports Art of Bart Forbes, a collection of his most famous sports paintings, was published by Beckett in 1998. He was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2017, undoubtedly the highest honor bestowed on artists in the field of illustration.

Bart Forbes is a gifted painter–illustrator who has gained great respect over a 55+ year period. He is well known for his loose painterly, yet realistic style of work which, in the 1970s–80s, were regularly reproduced to accompany stories for McCalls, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal and other popular women’s magazines. At that time number of limited edition prints were published including the Male and Female Golfers, the Endangered Species series and images of Native Americans among others.

As Forbes’ career progressed and the women’s magazines adopted a smaller size format, most often without short stories, his focus shifted to the world of sport with commissions from Sports Illustrated, Time and The National Football League. In 1987 he was commissioned by the Korean Olympic Committee to be the KOC’s official artist for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Several of those images were reproduced in a series of limited editions prints as well.

Over the years requests for large paintings necessitated that he change medium from water color to oil, but his style retained its original loose, washy quality which it still his trademark. In 2005 – 2007 TCP Sawgrass Golf Club in Ponte Vedra, FL. commissioned Forbes to do a number of mural-size paintings of legendary golf moments and players from the Players Championship Tournaments. He is currently experimenting with still life and landscape paintings, some of which are reproduced as Giclees.

Frontispiece from House Made of Dawn

Artist: Bart Forbes
Price:  Sold

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1970s, Bart Forbes, Franklin Library, House Made of Dawn, Interior Book Art, native american, original interior illustration, Watercolor
Added to Gallery: February 12, 2020

 

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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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