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Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

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mermaid

    A whimsical turn of the last century illustration, this watercolor and gouache painting by John Frederick (Fred) Nankivel is a delightful piece of childhood fantasy.  With soft, neutral tones that capture the ethereal play of sunlight pressing through the water’s surface, it is a beautiful contrast to the murky underwater environment. Two young […]

Submarine Pets

Artist: Fred Nankivel
Price:  Sold

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1900s, gouache, harper's new monthly magazine, illustration, mermaid
Added to Gallery: October 11, 2018

This painting was purchased from the Illustration House in the early 1990s and this exhibited artwork is rumored to have been modeled by Constance Bennett and for a time hung in the bedroom of her lover Phillip Wrigley.

New York World’s Fair Mermaid

Artist: C.D. Williams
Price:  SOLD

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: C.D. Williams, Constance Bennett, Exhibited, mermaid, nymph, World's Fair
Added to Gallery: May 9, 2018

A dazzling and evocative gouache illustration painting for a 1972 edition of Hans Cristian Andersen’s classic tale “The Little Mermaid”. A shining deftly rendered example in the manner of Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. Work is matted and framed and signed by the artist lower left and titled in the margin lower right.

The Little Mermaid

Artist: Harold Thompson
Price:  Sold

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1970s, aquatic, Arthur Rackham, fairy tale, fantasy, Hans Christian Andersen, Harold Thompson, Little Mermaid, mermaid, nymph, original interior illustration, sea siren
Added to Gallery: January 23, 2016

    The Intruder is a rare surviving oil on canvas American Impressionist painting created in 1921 by Arthur Prince Spear. This underwater sea nymph scene was exhibited that year at Boston’s St. Botolph Club, and the Chicago area Rosenbach Galleries and The House of O’Brien, where it is believed to have been sold. Reviewing the St. […]

The Intruder

Artist: Arthur Prince Spear
Price:  Sold

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: american, art deco, Exhibited, fine art, Golden Age, impressionist, mermaid, nymph, The Golden Gallery
Added to Gallery: November 8, 2014

A wonderful nude mermaid themed Bill Layne Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company commissioned illustration, the second of two are offering at Grapefruit Moon Gallery. A 1950s-60s gouache on board created for one of this calendar company’s jewelry advertising accounts. This depicts a topless pin-up girl mermaid on a balance scale with a tray of freshly mined pearls surrounded underwater by a host of male atomic-age sea dwellers. The type of scene only Bill Layne could envision and execute. The whimsical charm predicts Layne’s later career in the animation department for Walt Disney feature films. We expect Bill Layne to become a wildly collected and important artist in years to come.

A Mermaid Weighs In

Artist: Bill Layne
Price:  S O L D

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, aquatic, Bill Layne, Brown & Bigelow, Disney, Elf, mermaid, nude, original calendar art, pin up
Added to Gallery: July 18, 2009

The finest example of a Bill Layne Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company commissioned illustration we have had to offer. A 1950s-era gouache on board titled “Pearl Gardens, for Cultivated Pearls”. Created for one of this calendar company’s jewelry advertising accounts, the image depicts a pair of topless pin-up girl mermaids in an underwater oyster mine with a host of male atomic-age sea dwellers. The type of scene only Bill Layne could envision and execute.

Pearl Gardens

Artist: Bill Layne
Price:  S O L D

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, aquatic, Bill Layne, Brown & Bigelow, Disney, Elf, Little Mermaid, mermaid, pin up
Added to Gallery: July 11, 2009

A bizarre and macabre artwork by one of our favorite illustrators Mahlon Blaine titled on verso “A Fish Story.” A mermaid Medusa-like nude rendered in a pastel colored palette with an unusual size and configuration that leads us to believe this was created as a left-hand page interior illustration in a pulp magazine such as Weird Tales. When reproduced we imagine text would have been blocked around the right edge of this highly creative image.

A Fish Story

Artist: Mahlon Blaine
Price:  SOLD

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, aquatic, erotic, fantasy, macabre, Mahlon Blaine, mermaid, original illustration art, original interior illustration, pulp
Added to Gallery: February 17, 2008

Spear did a series called “Sea Weeds” with haunting images of art nouveau mermaids and other sea dwellers. This original pastel is a stunning and highly detailed example from this series. The colors are vivid and her ghost-like presence is breathtaking. This original gouache is referenced in the Warren Historical Society book on Spear on page 33 lot # 147. it was completed in February of 1927 and sold in 1930 at a New York City studio show. Artwork retains original period frame which shows some wear and there is some very minor “bubbling” where paper surface has lifted from board. This wear is minor and easily repaired.

Sea Weeds

Artist: Arthur Prince Spear
Price:  S O L D

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1920s, american, aquatic, art nouveau, Arthur Prince Spear, fantasy, mermaid, nymph, Sea Weeds
Added to Gallery: November 10, 2003

Spear did a series called “Sea Weeds” with haunting images of art nouveau mermaids and other sea dwellers. This is an original pastel on sandboard from this series. The mystical beauty of this underwater nymph lies in the simplicity of his rendering. It is housed in a beautiful original vintage art nouveau frame with corner detailing.

Mermaid Sea Dweller

Artist: Arthur Prince Spear
Price:  S O L D

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1920s, american, aquatic, art nouveau, Arthur Prince Spear, fantasy, mermaid, nymph, Sea Weeds
Added to Gallery: November 10, 2003

 

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    About Grapefruit Moon Gallery

    Grapefruit Moon Gallery, based in Minneapolis MN, specializes in vintage pin up and original illustration art.  We are the proud home of the Bunny Yeager archives.

    Since 2003, Grapefruit Moon Gallery has been a leading dealer of exclusive original paintings by Gil Elvgren, Alberto Vargas, Earl Moran, Rolf Armstrong and Henry Clive, as well as vintage photographs, prints, and period decorative arts in ceramic and metal.

    All artworks featured are original, accurately represented, and guaranteed to be the work of the named artist.

    Interested buyers may view pieces by appointment and we are happy to answer any questions you may have. [Contact Us]

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