Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
Welcome to Grapefruit Moon Gallery. Here you will find an archived visual history of past sales. Pretty to look at, some are quite old; but when they're in here, consider them sold!
Jon Whitcomb was perhaps the most accomplished “glossy” magazine illustrator working in the mid-century modern style. This fabulous glamour and Western Americana mash-up interior gouache illustration painting for the January, 1951 edition of Cosmopolitan magazine showcases the skillful eye, technical excellence and delightful imaginative sense of narration that set him atop of the field. Commissioned for a story by Shirley Shapiro Pugh titled […]
Artist: Jon Whitcomb
This very well rendered and rare surviving watercolor illustration painting by the French boudoir artist Suzanne Meunier dates to around 1920.
Artist: Suzanne Meunier
An early painting by beloved American illustrator James Montgomery Flagg which appeared on the cover of Sunday Magazine of the Minneapolis Journal.
Artist: James Montgomery Flagg
One of the finest Peter Driben pin-up girl cover illustrations to come on the market, for the December, 1948 edition of Beauty Parade.
Artist: Peter Driben
A sexy and mod late 1950s gouache illustration on board by Arnold Kohn that we believe to have been used as a pin-up calendar commission.
Artist: Arnold Kohn
The aptly titled Teen-Age Terror shows a lurid, youth gone wild, over the top image of a highly sensationalized girl gang initiation. In this oil-on-masonite cover painting, American illustrator James Alfred Meese captured the moral panic over juvenile delinquency that was a focal point of American culture in the 1950s, most notably explored in films like Rebel Without a […]
Artist: James Alfred Meese
Grapefruit Moon Gallery is honored to offer “They Shall Obtain Mercy,” a large and important gouache which served as preparation for one of 11 allegorical murals Savage created for The Elks Veteran Memorial in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The works are still on display at this landmark destination. This deeply moving and symbolic work reflects on the hardships and loss of World War I. This poignant, decorative, important artwork is beautifully matted and framed, and the art has a room-commanding presence.
Artist: Eugene Savage
This rugged barroom shootout scene is a dramatically rendered, Western Americana gouache illustration by the California illustrator Fred Ludekens.
Artist: Fred Ludekens
A large original pen & ink illustration by the important Belle Epoque era poster and book illustrator Louis Rhead. This likely was done for Harper’s or Century Magazine. A great large rendering in the Art Nouveau manner and a rare surviving original illustration work by the great New York based prolific and gifted illustrator and artist.
Artist: Louis Rhead
Pulp and paperback artist Edward Mortiz created this femme fatale artwork as the cover of the 1961 Beacon Books title House Party by Dominique Napier.
Artist: Edward Moritz
