Heritage Auctions will offer a selection of pin-up and pulp magazine art on May 7 in Beverly Hills, with a trio of glamour girls from master pin-up artist Gil Elvgren expected to lead.
 Elvgren's pin-ups are instantly recognisable, and he created some of the most classic poses in the genre |
Gil Elvgren was arguably the best known pin-up artist, with his classic pieces defining the genre. The highest estimate among his works is held by Thinking of You (Retirement Plan) at $50,000-75,000, an oil on canvas work created for the Brown & Bigelow calendar in 1962.
The piece comes from the estate of Charles Martignette, who was one of the foremost experts on pin-ups and Elvgren's work.
From the pulp fiction magazines section comes Hugh Joseph Ward's Doll of Death cover from the Spicy Mystery series, which is described as one of the finest examples of his work ever to come to auction, earning it a $30,000-50,000 estimate.
Ward was a promising and prolific pulp fiction artist, but died at the age of 35 in 1945. His original works are rarely seen at auction.
Also featuring is a selection of work from Patrick Nagel, a US artist who became known in the 1980s for his illustrations for Playboy, as well as the cover of Duran Duran's hit album Rio.
Untitled (Her Look) dates to 1983, just a year after the Duran Duran album was released, and is estimated at $40,000-60,000.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a fantastic selection of illustration art for sale.
