12:00 PM Central Time, Tuesday, July 14

Curators' Picks: July 14 Pin-Up, Playboy, and Men's Magazine Illustration Art Showcase Auction
Our curators picked their favorite items from our upcoming July 14 Pin-Up, Playboy, and Men's Magazine Illustration Art Showcase Auction.
| Sarahjane's Picks Sarahjane Blum | Director of Illustration Art
Billy DeVorss A Sight to Sea, 1945
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.
Olivia De Berardinis Tangerine, Dita Von Teese, 2001
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.
| Meagen's Picks Meagen McMillan | Senior Consignment Director, Illustration Art
Bill Ward No, the Lights didn't Go Out, Stare digest magazine cartoon, February 1968
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.
Al Buell Fireside Beauty, March 1962
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.
| Ezriel's Picks Ezriel Wilson | Cataloguer, Illustration Art
Pearl Aleryn Frush Grime Doesn't Pay!, 1954
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.
Jim Silke Nude: The Job of Figure Drawing interior, 2011
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!
Discover these and other glamorous and legendary illustrations and magazine art in our July 14 Pin-Up, Playboy, and Men's Magazine Illustration Art Showcase Auction. The session time for this auction is 12:00 PM Central Time, Tuesday, July 14. Sincerely,
|  | Sarahjane Blum Director of Illustration Art SarahjaneB@HA.com (214) 409-1549
|  | Meagen McMillan Senior Consignment Director, Illustration Art MeagenM@HA.com (214) 409-1546
|  | Ezriel Wilson Cataloguer, Illustration Art EzrielW@HA.com (214) 409-1112