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!
A fresh to the market 1950s original pin-up oil painting that is attributed to Ben-Hur Baz, with custom advertising for Krome-Oil Piston Rings. A busty blonde bombshell ala Marilyn Monroe is shown seductively posed in a new and very revealing bikini that highlights the tan lines left from her past, more modest swimwear. A recent gallery acquisition from […]
Artist: Ben-Hur Baz
Featuring an action-packed early football image, this exciting, fresh-to-the-market pulp cover painting is signed lower right by Clyde Forsythe, an American illustrator who created a number of iconic American WWI propaganda posters.This large oil on canvas dates to around 1920 and we have so far have not been able to find where this appeared. Our hunch is that is was […]
Artist: Clyde Forsythe
An action packed, Western Americana pulp cover painting by George H. Wert, which was commissioned and used by Street & Smith publishers for the July 9, 1927 edition of Western Story Magazine. A square jaw ranch-hand rustles a group of steer while casually smoking a cig, one of the classic cowboy images that inspired the Marlboro Man. Created with […]
Artist: George H. Wert
A dizzying, kinetic, brilliant large-scale fine art oil painting by the American artist and illustrator Theodore Haupt, signed in the lower right corner and dated 1929. This important surviving painting was created in Haupt’s signature modernist style combining elements of Cubism and Surrealism. Lyrical figures of swirling burlesque dancers depicted in lush harmony are juxtaposed with heavy […]
Artist: Theodore Haupt
This patriotic, morale boosting, WWII-era red, white and blue cover gouache illustration painting was the cover for the May, 2, 1942 edition of Liberty Magazine. The image depicts a curvy pin-up girl christening a ship as the nattily attired distinguished guests of the ceremony struggle to keep their eyes on the matter at hand. In a humorous nod […]
Artist: Stephen Ronay
Nell Brinkley was known for her ability to personify the 1920s move towards modernity and to interpret Victorian tradition through the eyes of her flapper heroine, The Brinkley Girl. In this inspired and tremendously fun pen and ink illustration, a Brinkley bride-to-be reminisces about her carefree maiden days of wanderlust and freedom. Signed and dated in […]
Artist: Nell Brinkley
A large, sultry original published pin-up calendar painting by the prolific and important American artist Fritz Willis. Willis was the last true star pin-up artist of the old guard, when illustrative pin-up reigned supreme in Men’s magazines and advertising calendars. The artist worked during the very tail end of the genre’s popularity. Showcasing a near-nude sex […]
Artist: Fritz Willis
A deftly rendered luminous pastel portrait of silent and early talkie legendary Hollywood film star Greta Garbo, created as the cover for the November 1935 issue of Screenland magazine. The artist captures the glamorous side of Garbo as styled from a publicity shoot promoting her starring turn in the M-G-M adaptation of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. […]
Artist: Charles Sheldon
A tremendous example of a Brown & Bigelow published pin-up painting by Ted Withers used in a Roman themed sketchbook calendar titled; Bella Roma – In The Artist’s Sketchbook. This painting, which appeared as the October 1960 calendar page, features Pax, the Roman goddess of peace and prosperity (and counterpart to the Greek goddess Eirene) […]
Artist: Ted Withers
A rare surviving 1940s calendar published pin-up oil painting by the prolific Chicago area female illustrator Ruth Deckard, which appeared with the title of Danger. Making a classic “ooh” face, a luscious blonde sits on a sawhorse pulling a nail from her shoe at a construction site, a classic situational pin-up leg show scene. The […]
Artist: Ruth Deckard
