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 dazzling and otherworldly cover painting by Virgil Finlay for the August 1947 edition of “Famous Fantastic Mysteries” illustrating the interior story by Andrew Marvell titled “Minimum Man”,”A Novel of Terror Unseen”. A scarce commissioned science fiction themed pulp cover from this long running title for Popular Publications and a rare surviving luminous example and one of Finlay’s finest celebrated cerebral creations.
Artist: Virgil Finlay
A large early artwork by Howard Chandler Christy used as a book plate in The Man in the Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart, copyright 1909 Bobbs-Merrill Publishing Company. This illustrated the chapter titled “The Woman in The Next Car.” A very fine and impressive painting in a handsome fumed quarter sawn oak antique frame. Published book included with sale.
Artist: Howard Chandler Christy
A well executed and conceived oil on illustration board created as cover art for an as of yet unidentified Romance paperback. Scene features a Gone With The Wind inspired Civil War era southern plantation interior scene with the requisite pretty maiden. Artwork is by the illustrator Ray Pease, and comes nicely framed and in a fine state of preservation.
Artist: Raymond Pease
A large, luminous pastel created as pin up calendar art for the Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Company of Red Oak Iowa. This colorful and bright mid-century bathing beauty scene by the artist Paul Kafka was marketed under the title “Sunny.” Nicely framed and properly lined under glass. A multi-image color separation proof series and finished calendar print is included in sale as well as a complete Calendar line Salesman Sample Brochure for the year 1952 titled “The Murphy Record Prize Edition; What Lines!”. Featuring this calendar girl as the cover by The Thos. D. Murphy Calendar Company.
Artist: Paul Kafka
A 1961 painting by Al Brule created on commission for the Shaw-Barton Calendar Company; scene features a modern formally attired heartbreaker with her colorful parrot as was often the scene. Included in sale is a vintage calendar print of this work, titled “A Word With Polly”.
Brule was a Chicago area illustrator whose style closely resembled Haddon Sundblom and his circle of Chicago artists.
Artist: Al Brule
A ravishing and deeply erotic nude oil on canvas painting by Pal Fried. Perhaps the most beautiful and inspired Fried work we have seen. Beautifully framed and in a fine state of preservation, a monumental example by this noted and prolific artist and illustrator.
Artist: Pal Fried
A tense and clever, menace-themed, rare surviving cover painting for the January 1939 issue of Double Action Detective.. A Science Fiction/Spicy Pulp epic entanglement illustrating George Alden Edson’s story, The Midnight Murderer. This original oil-on-canvas painting is unsigned, we are of the strong belief that it was done Rudolph Zirm. A xeroxed color print of the pulp magazine cover proof is included in the sale.
Artist: Rudolph Zirm (attributed)
A rare surviving spicy pulp cover painting by Rudolph Zirm. This menace themed oil on canvas was published April 1939 as the cover for Undercover Detective, illustrating the interior story “The Devil’s Pigeons”. A facsimile reissue edition of the pulp magazine featuring Zirm’s cover is included with sale.
Artist: Rudolph Zirm
This Raphael Kirchner Ziegfeld Follies pastel is a newly unearthed piece of New York City theater history, and a once in a generation find. Part of a suite of five illustrations which feature the erotic and luminous showgirls who starred in the legendary theater revue Ziegfeld Follies and made the name synonymous with images of the most beautiful, brazen and sensuous women in early 20th century New York. This portrait of Vivienne Segal hung in the lobby of the historic Century Theater until it shut its doors in 1936.
Artist: Raphael Kirchner
A tremendous original late 1920s pen and ink drawing by Cardwell Higgins titled “A Delightful Page in the Record of My Existence”. The artist created five of these noir illustrative costumed art deco pen & ink drawings between the years of 1927 – 1929 that were later marketed as limited edition art prints under the guidance of Charles Martignette in 1979. This is assuredly the finest from this series of Aubrey Beardsley / Harry Clarke inspired fantasy scenes that the young Higgins executed. From the Estate of Charles Martignette, who championed the efforts of Cardwell Higgins and organized a one man show for the artist in 1983 shortly after the artist’s death in Hollywood Florida.
Artist: Cardwell Higgins
