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Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

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Sorry, It's Sold

Gridiron Nymph

Artist:Samson Pollen
Date:1970
Medium:Gouache on illustration board
Dimensions:20" x 30"
Condition:Fine+
Original Use:Published illustration
Price: Sold
Samson Pollen illustration of a sexy pin-up girl in a football jersey flirting with players in the locker room
Full view of illustration

Original Men’s Adventure Magazine Illustration by Samson Pollen

Offered here is an exceptionally rendered, exceedingly sexy, vintage and original gouache on board grayscale illustration by the prolific and frequently-published illustrator Samson Pollen.

A classic example of 1970s men’s magazine art, this heady, thrilling illustration was published in a November 1970 issue of For Men Only magazine with the title of “Locker Room Tease”. Notations in the margin of the illustration also indicate that it may have been published again in a December issue of True Action magazine under the title “Gridiron Nymph”.

Chocked full of innuendo and sex appeal, Pollen manages to make grayscale pop with his rendering of a voluptuous and beautiful pin-up girl in thigh-high boots and a short jersey bearing the number 69. This provocative blonde uses her sexual prowess to distract football players and their coach as they try to map out plays on a blackboard in the locker room.

A detailed view of blonde pin-up girl in football jersey
Detail

Men’s Adventure Magazines as a Genre

Men’s adventure magazines (or MAM’s) were a genre of magazine published in the United States from the 1940s up until the early 1970s. Catering to male audiences, these magazines featured pin-up girls and lurid tales of adventure that typically featured wartime feats of daring, exotic travel, or conflict with wild animals. These magazines were also colloquially known as “armpit slicks”, “men’s sweat magazines”, or “the sweats”, especially by people in the magazine publishing or distribution trades.

View of illustration on board with publication notations in the margins
Full view of illustration with publication notations in the margins

Samson Pollen

Samson Pollen was a prolific illustrator in the genre of Men’s Adventure Magazines. In particular, Pollen’s dangerously beautiful women have gained quite a bit of attention themselves with the publication of the picture book, Pollen’s Women: The Art of Samson Pollen.

Pollen created hundreds of cover art and interior illustrations during the heyday of this genre, from the mid-1950s to the 1970s, and he is considered to be one of the greats.

Pollen recently passed away in December of 2018 and this never-before-seen original illustration is from his own collection.

This illustration is in excellent condition with no visible wear to the image area. The illustration board shows scattered corner and edge wear, but would be easily hidden behind matting and framing. Truly, a fantastic piece of mid-century American illustration!

The board measures 20″ x 30″ with an image size of 16″ x 25″

Full view of the back of the illustration board
View of verso

Gridiron Nymph

Artist: Samson Pollen
Price:  Sold

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1970s, blonde, football, gouache, illustration, locker room, men's adventure magazine, Men's Magazine art, original interior illustration, pin up, pulp, Samson Pollen
Added to Gallery: February 20, 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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