Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

plastic arts

A large and very rare hand painted composition figural advertising display of Josephine Baker in her legendary and scandalous banana skirt. The international sensation made its debut in the 1927 Follies Bergere show titled “Un Vent de Folie” and became Baker’s signature costume. Likely French in manufacture, this is an antique and original burlesque era surviving advertising document, we have never seen another example and are certain few were manufactured and even fewer have survived.

Folies Bergère Josephine Baker

Artist: Unidentified
Price:  $2,000.00

An inspired and outrageous, entirely hand painted and created paper-mache decorative mask by Hannes Bok, this captures an exuberant, outlandish Art Deco Egyptian – Orientalist style. One of our favorite illustrators, Bok was born Wayne Woodard and grew up in Duluth Minnesota. As an adult, the artist carved out a meager living as an illustrator and “part time astrologer”. What we love most about Bok is his steadfast idealism and refusal to conform to the whims and rigors of publishing trends. Not surprisingly Bok died penniless in New York City. As today’s collectors and scholars unearth the lost history of the pulps the star of Hannes Bok burns brighter than at any time during his long and prolific career.

An Orientalist Avant-Garde Mask

Artist: Hannes Bok
Price:  SOLD

A unique offering from the estate of Charles Martignette, the original Banshee’s club “Silver Lady” award presented to comic artist George McManus by Walt Disney himself on January 16th, 1952 at a Beverly Hills luncheon. This award statue was designed by another legendary illustrator, Willy Pogany and features a near nude pin-up girl with a quill pen and an elf and is silver-plated over cast bronze. This was purchased by us at the Charles Martignette estate auction in Delray Beach after the author’s untimely and sudden death in 2008.

Banshee’s Award, George McManus

Artist: Willy Pogany
Price:  Sold

From the estate of noted wildlife artist Paul Bramson comes this unique pair of W.T. Benda mask motif plaster bookends. These were most likely a gift: they are impressed and signed by the artist as seen, and the paint effect was applied by Benda himself to create an antiquated, relic type of “found remains” appearance. Benda was a famed illustrator and exceptional mask maker and published a book in 1944 on his technique and glorious fine, often times whimsical masks.

Benda Mask Decorative Bookends

Artist: Wladyslaw Benda
Price:  S O L D

A very fine arts & crafts, art nouveau aesthetic erotic nude Trumeau Mirror. The nude model is Evelyn Nesbit, the notorious Girl In The Red Velvet Swing. Manufactured by Morris & Bendien, New York and titled Fountain Of Youth. Retains its original and flat out great “bat wing,” pie-crust E.S. Curtis-esque gesso frame, with original verso paper and title on back panel as seen.

The Fountain of Youth

Artist: Morris & Bendien N.Y.
Price:  S O L D

 

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