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Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

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Paperback & Pulp Art

Publishers of depression-era pulp magazines, post war men’s adventure and girlie magazines, and lurid paperback titles all used risqué, action-packed illustrations to make their offerings jump off the newsstands in the highly competitive market for readers attention. Cover art pushed the boundaries of what was allowable in a heavily-censored era, coming up with increasingly deviant and outlandish portrayals of sex, violence, and perilous escapes from danger. Today, these works—which provide an intriguing peek into the shadow side of 20th century American culture—are studied by historians and coveted by collectors.

This original painting by John Hilkert, which appeared as the cover of the Canadian edition of 10-Story Detective Magazine in January 1943, provides an intriguing window into little known moment in pulp art history.

Ten Story Detective Pulp Cover

Artist: John Hilkert
Price:  $6,500.00

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: 1940s, art deco, Golden Age, John Hilkert, magazine cover, Norman Saunders, original cover art, original illustration art, pulp, Ten Story Detective Magazine
Added to Gallery: November 14, 2018

This fresh to the market lively cover painting by Earle K. Bergey appeared as the cover of the winter 1948 issue of the Better Publications title Cartoon Humor. A breezy co-ed pin-up girl in a form fitting red sweater enjoys a snowy sled ride frolic, sending a good natured but clearly over the hill dandy into the powder. He […]

Cartoon Humor Sled Ride

Artist: Earle K. Bergey
Price:  $6,500.00

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: 1940s, art deco, Earle K. Bergey, Golden Age, magazine cover, original cover art, pin up, pulp, risque
Added to Gallery: August 1, 2018

      A ghastly and macabre pulp cover painting by Mel Hunter for the January, 1958 edition of Mercury Mystery Book-Magazine, this loosely illustrated a story by Floyd Mahannah titled The Broken Angel. A voluptuous redheaded vixen appears in a moodily conceived graveyard at night with an ominous figure in a top-hat looming near an […]

The Broken Angel

Artist: Mel Hunter
Price:  $3,500.00

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: bondage, erotic, lurid, macabre, Mel Hunter, Mercury Mystery Book-Magazine, pin up, pulp
Added to Gallery: July 3, 2018

      A lurid and outright creepy cover painting by Nicholas Solovioff for the August, 1955 edition of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, loosely illustrated the interior story Bride In Danger. A beautiful corpse, a once blushing bride on her honeymoon, is now found alone on a desolate beach, bloodied and left in the open […]

The Body

Artist: Nicholas Solovioff
Price:  $3,500.00

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, lurid, Nicholas Solovioff, pulp, sci-fi, Scince Fiction
Added to Gallery: July 3, 2018

This was the original camera ready artwork used in the production of the 1970 Avon paperback edition of the novel The Favorite Game by Leonard Cohen.

The Favorite Game

Artist: Milton Charles
Price:  $850.00

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: Avon Books, Color Photograph, Leonard Cohen, paperback, The Favorite Game
Added to Gallery: April 11, 2018

This gouache illustration painting appeared on the cover of Naked Sinner, the 1959 “savage novel of a wild call girl and her shocking immoral affairs”.

Naked Sinner

Artist: American Artist
Price:  $4,800.00

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: Bart Frame, Bedside Book, erotic, Greenleaf Publishing, Naked Sinner, nude, original cover art, original illustration art, paperback, pin up, pulp, risque, sleaze
Added to Gallery: April 11, 2018

This dramatic, futuristic sci-fi interior pulp illustration was created by Harold McCauley for an as-of-yet unidentified Ziff-Davis title.

The Baby Factory

Artist: Harold McCauley
Price:  1950

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: 1940s, fantasy, Golden Age, Harold McCauley, lurid, machine age, original illustration art, original interior illustration, pulp, sci-fi, science fiction, Ziff-Davis
Added to Gallery: January 10, 2018

Death Makes a Mistake is an eerie, dark, and foreboding interior pulp illustration by Harold McCauley which appeared in the January 1943 issue of the sci-fi/fantasy pulp magazine Amazing Stories accompanying the P.F. Costello story of the same title. The caption beneath reads “Reggie looked at the second rose, and then he knew…!” Nicely matted and framed under glass, this […]

Death Makes A Mistake

Artist: Harold McCauley
Price:  $1,950.00

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: 1940s, Golden Age, Harold McCauley, lurid, original illustration art, original interior illustration
Added to Gallery: January 10, 2018

Harold McCauley created this tense, action-packed, gritty, and dramatic illustration for an-as-of-yet unidentified pulp title, circa 1940s.

Encounter In A Sinister Place

Artist: Harold McCauley
Price:  $1,650.00

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: 1940s, Golden Age, Harold McCauley, lurid, macabre, orientalist, original illustration art, original interior illustration, pulp, skull
Added to Gallery: January 10, 2018

An important and technically masterful large format cover oil painting by James Avati, for the 1950 Signet books release of Love Knows No Barriers written by Will Thomas

Love Knows No Barriers

Artist: James Avati
Price:  $10,500.00

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: God Is For White Folks, James Avati, original illustration art, Paprback book cover, Signet Books, The Golden Gallery, WPA
Added to Gallery: November 10, 2017

This cover painting by Tom Beecham for True Strange magazine is comprised of a montage of Marilyn Monroe imagery.

True Strange Marilyn Monroe

Artist: Tom Beecham
Price:  $5,500.00

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: 1950s, magazine cover, Marilyn Monroe, original cover art, pulp, True Strange Magazine
Added to Gallery: November 10, 2017

A large format, lurid and iconic paperback cover painting by Verne Tossey that was used as the cover for the 1955 Ace paperback Left Bank Of Desire.

Left Bank Of Desire

Artist: Verne Tossey
Price:  $5,500.00

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art
Tagged With: 1950s, Ace Books, Left Bank Of Desire, original cover art, original illustration art, paperback, pulp, Verne Tossey
Added to Gallery: November 10, 2017

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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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