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Curators' Picks: July 14 Pin-Up, Playboy, and Men's Magazine Illustration Art Showcase Auction
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Sarahjane's Picks
Sarahjane Blum | Director of Illustration Art
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Billy DeVorss was unique among the top-tier pin-up calendar
artists in that he never had an exclusive contract with any of the major
calendar companies. This gave him the opportunity to create works in a wide
variety of styles, and his bathing beauty and sporty pin-ups are among my
favorites. They just feel alive, and A Sight to Sea makes me
want to get out on the water during this hot summer.
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Dita Von Teese is one of the figures most responsible for
ushering modern burlesque into the public consciousness and introducing the
romance of classic pin-up glamour to new generations. Olivia De Berardinis has
both honored and evolved pin-up as an art form throughout her multi-decade
career. This reflective and evocative portrait is a beautiful celebration of
their creative partnership and their shared love for the often-maligned art
form of pin-up.
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Meagen's Picks
Meagen McMillan | Senior Consignment Director, Illustration Art
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Bill Ward is known for his racy, tongue-in-cheek cartoons
that seamlessly blend blue humor with a mid-century aesthetic. While I've seen
numerous examples by the artist, this group of large burlesque-themed gags brings to mind Reginald Marsh, the Ashcan School painter who
depicted similar burlesque scenes, often in the very same theaters. Somehow one
is regarded as fine art while the other is dismissed as campy cartoons.
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Al Buell's echoing pin-ups have always captured collectors'
attention. They not only reveal the artist's technique but also create an
almost cinematic quality-as if he couldn't decide
which moment of this flirty beauty to capture. To Buell, women are not static
dolls but shifting, sensuous figures.
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Ezriel's Picks
Ezriel Wilson | Cataloguer, Illustration Art
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Who doesn't love a little wit with their pin-up? Pearl
Frush's Grime Doesn't Pay! is a delightful watercolor created
for a Gerlach-Barklow calendar, depicting a playful brunette smiling with a
broom in hand. Her hair is tied up in a green cleaning rag that perfectly
matches her heels, and clad in nothing but an apron, she cheerfully tackles the
job no one wants to do-because grime, much like crime, doesn't pay.
Frush was one of a handful of female artists working in the
predominantly male-dominated field of pin-up illustration during the
mid-century. While her work is often compared to that of her male
contemporaries, what I appreciate most is the perspective she brought as a
woman depicting the modern woman. Her figures are undeniably beautiful and
rendered with almost photographic realism, yet their natural proportions and
understated sensuality make them feel approachable. Even at their most
glamorous, Frush's pin-ups possess a warmth and relatability that set them
apart. Don't let this charming Frush original get swept away.
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This bodacious space babe is one of several pieces from the
Estate of Jim Silke that we have the pleasure of offering in this auction. As
I've come to know more of Silke's work, one of the things I admire most is not
only his ability to create stunning pin-ups with remarkable precision and
anatomical accuracy, but also his willingness to share his skills through
publications that helped educate fellow artists.
This watercolor appeared in Silke's book Nude: The
Job of Figure Drawing, which explores the techniques and discipline
required to accurately render the pin-up figure in a variety of poses and
compositions. As an added bonus, it's always fun to
recognize the models or pop culture influences present in Silke's work. Here,
the floating figure in the background bears a striking resemblance to Jane
Fonda in her iconic role as Barbarella (1968). Add this-or
another original by Jim Silke-to your collection today!
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Meagen McMillan
Senior Consignment Director,
Illustration Art
MeagenM@HA.com
(214) 409-1546
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Ezriel Wilson
Cataloguer,
Illustration Art
EzrielW@HA.com
(214) 409-1112
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