american

From the personal collection of Joan Crawford, this large format double weight still features the timeless beauty and Hollywood legend at the height of her fame, in a dramatic portrait from Grand Hotel. By George Hurrell, who revolutionized glamour photography with his dramatic art deco portraits of film and theater personalities, this 1932 film still was hand printed by Hurrell for Crawford herself. She later presented the photograph as a gift to her chauffeur. A very rare jazz age view with important and historically intriguing provenance.

Joan Crawford in Grand Hotel

Artist: George Hurrell

A large and radiantly beautiful rare surviving signed F. Earl Christy pastel advertising illustration on canvas for “Parke, Davis & Co. Toilet Articles”. A jazz-age modernist interpretation of an art deco pin-up girl. F. Earl Christy was a prolific early 1900’s illustrator who’s career spanned four decades. We rarely come across his original works this is an estate fresh large and luminous example from his best period nicely framed and properly lined behind glass in a pristine state of original conservation.

Flapper with Bobbed Hair

Artist: Earl Christy

This large, fresh to the market Henry Clive painting was created for the June 20th, 1948 cover of The American Weekly. The work finds the artist portraying Delilah as posed by Earl Carroll showgirl Beryl Wallace in seductive harem girl garb with barber’s shears prominently featured. Clive created a series of these artworks under the title “Enchantresses of the Ages” for Randolph Hearst’s American Weekly title where Clive enjoyed a three decade career as cover illustrator.

Enchantresses Of The Ages – Delilah

Artist: Henry Clive

A large, inventive oil on canvas by the well listed artist and illustrator Charles Shepard Chapman. A spirited look at the ongoing Industrial Revolution and progress minded upheaval of the 1920s with a focus on transportation. Pictured in the mist of streamlined modernist trains and bi-planes are antiquated horse and buggy carriages and river paddle boats. The artwork heralds the machine age and harnesses the art deco shapes, forms and exuberance that was infectious in the epoch before the stock market crash of 1929.

The Spirit of Transportation

Artist: Charles Chapman

Grapefruit Moon Gallery is delighted to offer this spectacularly executed, and exceedingly rare surviving original painting by Henry Clive of the glamorous silent era Hollywood superstar Gloria Swanson. Clive, a staff illustrator at Paramount, executed a series of portraits for for the film studio of stars including Rudolph Valentino, Mae Murray, Pola Negri, Betty Compson, Jackie Coogan and Charlie Chaplin. These portraits graced the lids of 1920s Canco company tins, and this is the only original painting from the series known to exist. It is truly rare treasure from the Lost Era of Hollywood.

Portrait of Gloria Swanson

Artist: Henry Clive

A delightful New years Day 1917 illustration in pen & ink by noted female artist and illustrator Nell Brinkley titled Happiness A Plenty. This finds the New Years Baby scene adapted to a young couple who are finding the joys of home and hearth that much more appealing with their new born cherubic smiling infant welcomed into the world. Signed lower middle and matted and framed in a simple black wood frame.

Happiness A Plenty

Artist: Nell Brinkley

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 comic illustration in pen & ink by noted New York illustrator John Held Jr. This was published in the newspaper “The Westport Herald”, with commentary on the Saugatuck River and pollution issues of the time in Connecticut. Caption reads “Hey Buddy How Can I Find The Saugatuck? Follow Your Nose!” Matted and framed and signed lower right by the artist.

Follow Your Nose

Artist: John Held Jr.

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 bright and colorful, new to the market, original gouache on board by the prolific Hungarian artist Willy Pogany. This was created as an interior book plate illustration for an undetermined publication. A feast is laid before the king and his dog in this cleverly rendered original illustration. The verso is notated “pg. 7” and with the text “Golden Cocker #3” and an inventory number designating this as a published work. It is boldly signed lower right and nicely matted and framed behind glass.

The Feast

Artist: Willy Pogany

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