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!
This art deco stylized hatted view of Judy Garland was kept in the actress’s personal collection until her death. A charming portrait that showcases the joyful innocence which was essential to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s presentation of the icon (but which ran directly counter to her haunted personal life). This double weight, large format gallery portrait is a rarely seen still, and celebrates the style of the late 1930s as well as the unusual beauty of Garland.
Artist: Unknown
“Racing the Sun” is a rare surviving oil on stretched canvas painting by Ruehl Frederick Heckman, created for the Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Company. During the 1930s Heckman executed a series of five paintings for this storied calendar company, all featuring bold aviation progress and industrial themes. These works ponder the collision of the industrial revolution’s streamlined machine age aesthetic with previous generations traditional and more pastoral ways.
Artist: Ruehl Frederick Heckman
A dazzling original calendar published oil painting by Henry Clive titled “A Seaside Flirtation” created for the Joseph Hoover Calendar Company. Henry Clive joyously captures the essence of the jazz-age and the roaring 20s modernist flapper girl, this is a grand depiction. From the estate of Charles Martignette, the noted author, historian and collector. This rare surviving painting is lavishly framed, silk matted and ready to enjoy. A 1934 advertising calendar is included in the sale.
Artist: Henry Clive
Paramount pictures glamour photographer Otto Dyar captures pre-code starlet Adrienne Ames at her most glamorous in this large format, art deco gallery portrait. The press snipe on the verso evokes the sophistication with which Ames was identified, and the fashion icon as which she was known. “Brown and tomato red creates the striking color combination of this rough crepe street frock worn by Adrienne Ames in “From Hell to Heaven”, a Paramount pictures.”
Artist: Otto Dyar
Hedy Lamarr, Hollywood’s icon of glamour and style, is radiant in this large format, rare gallery still created as a promotional portrait for her 1944 starring turn in “The Heavenly Body.” These double weight, oversized stills were never intended for public consumption and are rare and coveted today as the apex of Hollywood fine art glamour photography. Stunning with its deep black and dramatic style, this also features advertising press snipe on verso as seen.
Artist: Unknown
Before her tenure as the reigning queen of Hollywood society, and her long-standing position as mistress of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, Marion Davies was among the most beautiful of Florence Ziegfeld’s glorified American girls. Here, she is shown in lavish showgirl costuming, an ethereal beauty in soft focus view by Campbell studio. This double weight gallery portrait is blindstamped by photographer lower right.
Artist: Campbell Studios
In 1929 Myrna Loy was an unknown actress and dancer in Hollywood, attracting attention for her darkly exotic beauty and sophisticated hard edged acting. This photograph, from the lavish Vitaphone early talkie “Show of Shows” features Loy in an orientalist jazz age view by Fred R Archer that predicts her iconic turn in The Mask of Fu Manchu. This is an exceedingly rare and beautiful view of the Hollywood icon.
Artist: Fred Archer
The instantly iconic profile of Gloria Swanson is foregrounded in this romantic and highly art deco photograph of the queen of silent film, from her 1929 vehicle The Trespasser. In refined flapper pose, against abstracted picture window, Swanson defines the roaring ’20s with all of its sexuality and culture. The still features heavily notated verso with Spanish language text and archival numbering.
Artist: Unknown
An original pastel, gouache and graphite mixed media pin-up illustration by Frank D’amario. Little has been written about D’amario; we know that he worked for several calendar companies in the 1940s – 50s and was quite prolific producing dozens of published calendar pieces. Over our careers as antique dealers, we have sold prints and calendars of these images but his originals are scarce. He was very adept at these candlelit nudes and now seeing an original work by this artist we are struck by his unique technique and vision.
Artist: Frank D'Amario
A rare surviving gouache painting by Brooklyn, New York pin-up artist and Calendar Illustrator Frank D’amario. Grapefruitmoongallery has sold dozens of this artists published pin-up prints and calendars over the years and recently acquired a pair of his original paintings. This sadly has a faint water tide line and rippling to the paper in the bottom portion. It is certainly acceptable as-is but could perhaps benefit from some careful paper conservation, it is bargain priced accordingly and by all accounts a scarce surviving example of The Great American Pin-up.
Artist: Frank D'Amario
