Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

chicago

An endearing, albeit slightly sinister, interior hearth and home Americana scene titled “Magic Spell” by noted calendar and pin-up artist Vaughan Bass. In this late 1940s work, the newly invented television takes center stage in a room of otherwise unsupervised children of all ages. All participants are transformed by the magic spell cast by the glowing console. The unpainted television screen surface would act as advertising placement in the finished calendar where text would be added to appear as though it was on the T.V.

Magic Spell

Artist: Vaughan Bass
Price:  S O L D

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
Price:  S O L D

A new to the market delightful gouache painting by the Chicago area artist and “Sundblom Shop” pin-up illustrator Harry Ekman. A stylish redheaded Burlesque performer with bright red lips in sexy opera gloves and an ostrich plumed fan. Work is nicely matted and framed and a fine example by this prolific yet hard to come by gifted pin-up artist and commercial illustrator.

The Ostrich Plume Girl

Artist: Harry Ekman
Price:  S O L D

A dazzling and scarce surviving commercial pin-up illustration by Pearl Frush Brudon, a successful female illustrator who worked in gouache and watercolors with a unique and spectacular photo realism to her works. A lovely red headed seductress of the 1940s appears in soft focus in this luminous work, signed lower right with the artist’s married name.

Glamorous Beauty in Soft Focus

Artist: Pearl Frush
Price:  S O L D

A captivating and well rendered glamour girl commercial illustration by Haddon Sundblom for Schlitz Beer. Image shows a pretty, spirited gardener quenching her thirst with a cold beer. A classic Americana image, acquired from the estate of illustrator Albert Berwinkle, who worked with Sundblom on advertising campaigns in Illinois. Berwinkle traded some of his own artwork with his friend “Sunny” and this piece was given to Berwinkle by Sundblom. Artwork is unsigned but guaranteed to be the work of Haddon Sundblom.

A Pause that Refreshes

Artist: Haddon Sundblom (attributed)
Price:  S O L D

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.

The Holiday Season

Artist: Haddon Sundblom (attributed)
Price:  S O L D

A large mid-1950’s calendar girl pin-up pastel that was commissioned by the Shaw-Barton Calendar Company for one of their wildly successful and genre changing “Sketchbook” style 12 page pin-up calendars. Knute “K.O.” Munson executed many pastels for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company during the 1940’s and then Shaw-Barton. He later went on to become a successful cheesecake pin-up photographer during illustration arts lean years of the 1960’s, a charmed life to be sure.

The Model as Artist

Artist: K. O. Munson
Price:  S O L D

A large original commissioned pin-up genre pastel on illustration board by Knute O. Munson for a 1952 Brown & Bigelow Calendar titled Our Knowledge and Experience At Your Command. This was given to a store owner in Tulsa Oklahoma decades earlier by the regional Brown & Biglelow salesman there as a reward for advertising with his company. It is cleverly signed lower left on the spine of one of the books.

Our Knowledge & Experience At Your Command

Artist: K. O. Munson
Price:  S O L D

A large original commissioned pin-up genre pastel on illustration board by Knute O. Munson for a 1949 Brown & Bigelow Calendar titled Top Service Is Delivered. This was given to a store owner in Tulsa Oklahoma decades earlier by the regional Brown & Biglelow salesman there as a reward for advertising with his company. It is cleverly signed on the falling package by the artist.

Top Service is Delivered

Artist: K. O. Munson
Price:  S O L D

A rare and outstanding situational pin-up painting used as calendar art for The Louis F. Dow Calendar Co., circa 1940’s- 50’s. Image is playfully titled Snowshoes it also appeared as a calendar print titled Alask-Ann. This was purchased by a gentleman the day he got back from the Viet Nam War in the early 1970’s. The Dow Calendar Company rented a downtown Saint Paul hotel and sold off their paintings and original calendar art at $50.00 a painting! This is a major find and has never been on the market since it was purchased thirty years ago. He created the “Wonder Bread Girl” in the 1950’s using his daughter Nancy as his model. His portrait of President Dwight D. Eisenhower is in the Smithsonian institution in Washington D.C.

Alask-Ann

Artist: Vaughan Bass
Price:  S O L D

 

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