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Curators' Picks: May 27 Pulp, Paperback, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Illustration Art Showcase Auction
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Sarahjane's Picks
Sarahjane Blum | Director of Illustration Art
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It's a given that mid-century paperback art was tasked with
making even the most conventional stories seem lurid. Never has someone
understood the assignment better than Robert Stanley with his 1958 Pyramid
Books cover art for I Cried in the Dark (original title Woman
with Arthritis.) It's a captivating image on its own, and a pitch-perfect
example of why you can't judge a book by its cover.
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James Gurney's Alpine Princess was first
published as the cover of Joanna Russ's The Zanzibar Cat. The award-winning
art has been exhibited and reprinted multiple times, and it's no wonder. It
draws the viewer in to an inviting and mysterious world, with unexpected
animals and a bold heroine on a quest worth following. It's one of those pieces
that is even more beautiful in person, and it's one of the jewels of the sale.
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Meagen's Picks
Meagen McMillan | Senior Consignment Director, Illustration Art
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There are quite a few Kelly Freas works in this auction, but my favorite is this study. As an illustration specialist, I tend to focus on completed, published pieces. However, when Freas hand writes "Well, Hell" as the first line of a letter discussing the work with the publisher, you know it's a knock-out. In Freas's own words: "My instinct says this one sells books, just as is. And I don't even know what makes it science fiction, but it sure is!"
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Men's magazines from 1950 to 1980 never fail to get a quiet
chuckle out of me. Their blend of stereotypes and archetypes turns these
outlandish, exaggerated tales into clear descendants of pulp magazines. This
Samson Pollen piece is especially amusing to me, having spent considerable time
in Appalachia. It reads like a classic horror setup: an academic Northeastern
fisherman hunted by wild, plaid-clad hillbillies complete with the absurd booby
trap of a giant rock tied to a stick
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Ezriel's Picks
Ezriel Wilson | Cataloguer, Illustration Art
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Lou Harrison's dramatic watercolor for the 1993
publication Brothers of the Dragon paperback cover is a
stunning example of what I like to think was the artist experimenting with
color theory. Harrison's purple background, marbled with swirling lighter
purple tones, allows the artist to create a dark tree line that frames the scene
beautifully. The center of the composition, made up of vibrant yellow tones, is
filled with action as two brothers, utilizing their powers in martial arts and
wilderness survival techniques within this newly discovered parallel world, are
confronted by a brilliant yellow dragon flying overhead. The colors purple and
yellow naturally complement each other, leaving you to wonder if the artist
intentionally used that contrast to draw even more allure to the scene.
Regardless, I love it, and it certainly worked for me! Bring some vibrant
fantasy to your walls today.
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Paul Alexander's cover for House of Zeor is a stunning example of the power of the
paperback cover, leaving me wanting to know so much more. As I discovered, Paul
Alexander was regarded as one of the premier science fiction paperback artists
of the 1970s and 1980s. House of Zeor was
published in 1981 by Playboy Press, an imprint operating under the Playboy
enterprise, which frequently published science fiction, horror, and fantasy
within its well-known men's magazine pages. In this work, Alexander invokes a
surreal, otherworldly atmosphere while adding the intense allure of a
proto-cyborg alien figure set within a dystopian scene. The cyborg figure
overtakes the central female figure with her bodice in tatters, further
emphasizing the dramatic and provocative aesthetic of the era. As I later
learned, Playboy Press is equally remembered for its involvement in the "bodice
ripper wars" associated with the romance publishing scene. Because of that, I
feel adding this Paul Alexander piece to your collection is not only a
wonderful visual addition, but also a fascinating slice of publication history.
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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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