Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
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An original 1946 commissioned oil on canvas by the female American Illustrator and occasional pin-up artist E.B. Segner. Created for the Louis F. Dow Calendar Company, (the Saint Paul Minnesota rival and competitor of Brown & Bigelow) whose roster of artists included Billy Devorss, Gil Elvgren, Henry Clive and Jules Erbit. Work is nicely framed in a newer gallery frame on original pine stretchers with notations from the Calendar Company.
Artist: E. B. Segner
A sassy and colorful glamour girl pastel rendering by Earl Moran, created for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company in the early 1950s. Caption reads “Whenever I dance with you alone, before I know it The evening’s flown.” Work is beautifully matted and framed and in a fine state of preservation, a 1954 Brown & Bigelow Calendar of image is included in sale.
Artist: Earl Moran
A charming pastel by Jules Erbit, the versatile prolific American illustrator who worked for all of the major calendar companies during his long career. Exclusively a pastel artist, Erbit created a few nudes for the Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Company but his signature genre featured the Erbit girl, a generally wholesome, gregarious and approachable beauty. This artwork is a wonderful example of his Good Girl Art style. A published tear sheet of calendar is included in sale.
Artist: Jules Erbit
A large and early bathing beauty themed pin-up illustration in pastel by K.O. Munson, the gifted and prolific illustrator who worked many years for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company. This is an early work note the stylized signature and 1940’s glamour girl pose. Work is in fine condition and properly lined behind glass in an attractive period wide profile gold gesso frame.
Artist: K. O. Munson
A spirited Christmas seasonal advertising painting from the 1940s in the style of Chicago artist Haddon Sundblom. This commercial advertising illustration was created for an as of yet unidentified ad campaign in the Sundblom Shop/Chicago Studios aesthetic. It is our belief that this was painted by Sundblom himself.
Artist: Haddon Sundblom (attributed)
This kinetic and bold original oil on canvas depicts a moment from choreographer and dancer Katharine Dunham’s seminal avant garde revue Bal Negre. With its unique color palate and unexpected perspective, the painting evokes the excitement of the Hot Jazz modern dance which reached its peak at the moment the artist moved to the United States. Pal Fried was known for his unsurpassed ability to capture the emotion of dance, and this painting proves his mastery with its physicality and vanguard beauty.
Artist: Pal Fried
From the double entendre school of classic pin-up art, Grapefruit Moon Gallery is proud to offer this original oil on canvas by Al Buell for The Osborne Calendar Company. Work is titled “Come and Get It”, and is pictured in “The Great American Pin-up” on page 107 color plate #209. This spirited surviving commissioned work is beautifully matted and framed and ready to hang. Al Buell was a prolific pin-up artist who was trained by Haddon Sundblom, and worked in the luminous commercial style of Sundblom and Gil Elvgren. He worked for numerous calendar companies throughout his career and contributed pin-ups for Esquire Magazine, additionally the artist created numerous Calendar Girls for the Coca-Cola company during the 1940’s – 50s.
Artist: Al Buell
A charming original oil on canvas by the hotly collected artist Pal Fried. A well rendered and colorful depiction of four young ballerinas at dance class. Fried, an artist of the Hungarian school, was known as an important figure painter, and most often depicted beautiful young women, nudes, ballerinas, Parisian society women, western scenes, horse racing, and an occasional seascape. His oil paintings and pastels have gained much deserved recognition and notoriety and are increasingly desirable.
Artist: Pal Fried
A large, masterfully rendered, noir dramatic interior illustration of a startled beauty by Cecil Calvert Beall. From the illustrated serialization of Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu, published by Collier’s Magazine, June 12, 1948. Artwork is beautifully framed in a period gold gesso ornate frame. Story caption reads : “Camille lay on a heap of coarse canvas piled up in a corner of what seemed to be a large warehouse. There was a smell of dampness and decay in the air.”
Artist: C. C. Beall
Jewel Flowers was Armstrong’s favorite model and closest personal friend. She passed away last year and is fondly remembered and sorely missed by the pin-up and illustration art community. Her zesty, sexy spirit, and the kinship between the artist and model are clearly visible in this wonderful pastel.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
