Above: Detail

Above: The artist’s monogrammed initials

A modernist, erotically charged, unconventional pin-up oil on canvas painting by Fritz Willis one of only several of the genre’s later-era stars. The model was the artist’s wife Pat, who frequently appeared in Willis’ work. The artist was unique in that he often painted in an openly erotic rather than coyly suggestive pin-up style, using props like opera gloves or silk stockings to highlight the allure of his models.

Above: another view

Above: Framed in original period 1960s Finnish design mod frame

Above: Verso view

Initially deceiving, his works have an almost unfinished look, they are so loose and relaxed, and yet upon close inspection, the detail is truly intricate. Willis was the premiere artist to work for Brown & Bigelow after the sexual revolution and the move away from realism in illustration, and his groundbreaking approach to pin-up give his work an enduring appeal.