Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
This radiant, fabulously large original pastel by Rolf Armstrong was created in 1941 for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company. Titled “Figured To Win,” this original and previously undocumented beautiful illustration incorporates two of the artist’s great loves in life; sailing and Jewel Flowers. This pastel was owned for many years by Jewel herself, who was Armstrong’s favorite model and dearest friend for nearly two decades.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A delightful and never before offered on the market large and sensational Brown & Bigelow commissioned pastel illustration by Rolf Armstrong, featuring a sassy and sexy stylized southwestern attired cowgirl in traditional charro hat, riding pants and and tassled boots. From the zenith of Armstrong’s long tenure as “The Father of American Pin-up”. A 1944 large Brown & Bigelow Calendar of image titled “Hi, Neighbor” is included in sale. Among the finest Armstrong works we have ever owned.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A wonderfully conceived and deftly executed art deco original risque artwork from Rolf Armstrong’s short tenure in Hollywood. This large pastel dates to 1932 and is a rare nude by the Father of American pin up. This transcendent work was unearthed in the late 1990s in the estate of a one of Armstrong’s former models. This important piece was exhibited at a solo show of the artist’s work in 1999 at the Bruce R. Lewin Gallery in New York City. A program from the exhibition featuring “The Blue Nude” is included with sale.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
Jewel Flowers was Armstrong’s favorite model and closest personal friend. She passed away last year and is fondly remembered and sorely missed by the pin-up and illustration art community. Her zesty, sexy spirit, and the kinship between the artist and model are clearly visible in this wonderful pastel.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A whimsical snow scene pastel illustration by Rolf Armstrong which initially appeared as the cover for College Humor in December of 1929. This image was slightly altered by Armstrong and appeared again in 1936 as a Brown & Bigelow Calendar titled “The Call of the North”. The pastel was dedicated to Stan Fenelle another Brown & Bigelow artist by Armstrong and is a new to the market Saint Paul Minnesota estate find. Work is matted and framed in a period art deco era Newcomb-Macklin antique gold carved frame.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A delightful early Rolf Armstrong original pastel in which the artist employs an impressionist and modern technique for the shadowing and details. This is a lovely and unusual transition piece from the period in Armstrong’s career where he began to shift from depicting winsome art nouveau beauties to the more dramatic and angular art deco flapper girls which defined his career. We have yet to find a printed version of this stunning original artwork by the father of American pin-up.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
Perhaps the finest Rolf Armstrong original pastel ever offered for sale and one of only a hand full of nudes done by this iconic American illustrator. This original pastel was one of three nudes Armstrong did in the 1930’s. It was marketed as a calendar print titled, “Rosalie” as well as “Hollywood Venus”. This large, reclining nude was clearly a personal favorite of Armstrong’s. It hung on his studio walls throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s. This is a large and monumental art deco masterwork by the Father of the American Pin-Up. With an expensive gallery frame, this pastel is in pristine condition with unfaded vibrant colors.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A defining patriotic themed large original pastel by the father of American Pin-up Rolf Armstrong created for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar company. A fetching bathing beauty with modern features and build strikes a celebratory pose in front of a red, white and blue beach umbrella in this World War II-era pin-up In The Pink. The model was Margery Crampton and the appeal of this bright large work is universal.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A large and never-before-seen original pastel by Rolf Armstrong, this Green River Soda advertisement features a glamorous pin-up girl. This original pastel was found among other pastels and old lithographs in an abandoned Milwaukee, Wisconsin warehouse building. Decades earlier, the structure had served as headquarters for the “A. C. Schulz” lithography company. Although this piece is unsigned (this is true of much advertising art), it was undoubtedly created by the hand of Rolf Armstrong and is sold as an attributed painting.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
This stylized pastel portrait of a dashing high society fashionable blonde with bright red lips is bright, colorful, fresh and new to the market. The 1930s era portrait was most likely used for print ads for a beauty product in American glamour magazines. A large seductive example of Rolf Amstrong’s unsurpassed pastel work. A winsome idealized vision of American feminine beauty by The Father Of American Pin-up.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
