1960s

This impactful and eye-catching original pin up oil-on-board by Gil Elvgren was created for a roadside billboard. A pretty blond Elvgren girl who has just stepped out of a swimming pool enjoys a long tall cool one in this classic good-girl example of breweriana advertising art. Painting comes with the original posed double weight photograph of the model taken by Elvgren, and is pictured on page 237 of the monograph “Gil Elvgren All His Glamorous American Pin-ups” (plate 582), written by Charles Martignette and Louis K. Meisel.

A Cool One

Artist: Gil Elvgren

An original 1962 oil on canvas by Gilette Elvgren commissioned by the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company and published under the titles “Just Right”,”Hat’s Nice” and “The Eyeds of March”. This sexy pin-up masterwork explores the silk stockings & garters scenario for which the artist is best known. A brunette Elvgren girl admires her wiles in an aptly named vanity mirror in this provocative over the shoulder derriere exposed creation. For those of you not keeping track, recent auctions have seen Elvgren’s pin-up works for Brown & Bigelow topping $200,000.00 on three recent occasions. The high water mark of $262,900.00 was seen at Heritage Auctions June 5th, 2008 sale in Dallas Texas (Lot #66097).

Just Right

Artist: Gil Elvgren

A modernist, erotically charged, unconventional pin-up oil on canvas painting by Fritz Willis one of only several of the genre’s later-era stars. The model was the artist’s wife Pat, who frequently appeared in Willis’ work. The artist was unique in that he often painted in an openly erotic rather than coyly suggestive pin-up style, using props like opera gloves or silk stockings to highlight the allure of his models.

Erotic Nude in Opera Gloves

Artist: Fritz Willis

A large gouache illustration for the cover of the October 1960 edition of Stag Magazine. A daring mountain top rescue illustrating the interior story “Three Months With The Wild Mountain Girls of Tibet” – “Sgt. Gregory’s Escape From Red Chinese Captivity”. A compelling read we are certain and by all accounts an action packed large scale gouache illustration.

Mountain Girls of Tibet

Artist: Mort Künstler

A tense and hyper-realist original gouache illustration by the highly regarded and prolific illustrator Mort Kunstler, this interior 2-page spread appeared in the May 1963 edition of True Action and possibly as a cover for Male Magazine in 1960. The lurid, defining action-filled image captures the prevailing nihilism associated with the 1960s “sweat magazine” art and envelope-pushing adventure fiction. This large and impacting gouache work takes place at a Korean brothel and plays on the Cold War-era fears which were prevalent in the aftermath of the Korean War.

Garden of 1000 Brides

Artist: Mort Künstler

A bizarre and gritty subway terror scene by Mort Kunstler from the “War at Home” genre prevalent in 1960s Men’s Magazine art. This depiction finds a handful of thugs in their best Lords of Flatbush garb accosting a pretty mod damsel. A square jawed, tough as nails Cold War era Military Man prevails in the name of justice over some assorted juvenile delinquents in this archetypical depiction of the ongoing culture war of the 60s. This was used as a May cover “For Men Only Magazine” with the title “Underground Angels Who Terrorized New York’s Subways”. This is an electric work; if you are a fan of the genre, this gouache painting has it all.

Underground Angels

Artist: Mort Künstler

This fresh and dazzling Gil Elvgren oil on canvas painting titled “Pot Luck” is a rare surviving commissioned work for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company, St Paul MN. This image graced calendars in 1961 and also served as the 6 of clubs in the “52 American Beauties” playing card series. The entire deck featured Elvgren pin-up beauties, a fact that demonstrates the incredible popularity of this iconic artist. With its sin city scenario, and Kim Novak/Marilyn Monroe inspired seductress at the one armed bandit, this is exciting, risque and unquestionably one of the most desirable Elvgren artworks to come to market. Recent auction records on the artist top out at $262,900 and on July 15th 2009, 3 Brown & Bigelow original calendar pin-ups closed at $215,100.00, $191,200.00 and $143,400.00 after spirited bidding. Elvgren is without a doubt the most important pin-up artist in American history and this is by all accounts a masterwork and an Elvgren painting for the ages.

Pot Luck!

Artist: Gil Elvgren

A large whimsical 1963 Calendar commissioned gouache painting for The Louis F. Dow Calendar Company signed “Arnquist” a pseudonym which allowed Bill Layne (who was under contract with Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company) to also get paid for calendar works he created for the rival Saint Paul Minnesota competing calendar company. A printed tear sheet of the painting titled “Cat Nap” used as a calendar page March 1963 is included in the sale. This work features a xylophone and a band of mice as the central components as a snoozing cat gets his whiskers trimmed in blissful oblivion to the happenings. Nicely matted and framed and ready to enjoy.

Cat Nap

Artist: Bill Layne

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.

A Word With Polly

Artist: Al Brule

An original gouache on board created for the May 1962 edition of Male Magazine, illustrating “The Daring GI Raider Who Saved Our New Guinea Stronghold”. A large, finely rendered scene depicting a gun battle, with requisite yet inexplicable scantily attired native babes, as per the norm of the bizarre and lowbrow world of “The Sweats.”

New Guinea GI Raider

Artist: Mort Künstler

« Previous Page