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Learn MoreSheer Nonsense by Gil Elvgren
- This delightful oil on canvas captures Gil Elvgren at the height of his artistic mastery
- The composition captures a smiling blonde pin-up posing playfully against a vivid pink backdrop
- The work is accompanied by two Brown & Bigelow calendar blotters from December 1954 and 1955
- Elvgren is considered to be the greatest American pin-up and glamour artist
- Get complete item description here
Price Upon Request
Item No.
32-2608
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Description
Gil Elvgren
1914-1980 | American
Sheer Nonsense
Signed “Elvgren” (lower left)
Oil on canvas
Gil Elvgren’s work defined the golden age of American pin-up art, exemplified by this delightful oil on canvas. The composition captures the charm and exuberant allure of its blonde subject as she pulls on her stockings against a vibrant pink ground. Elvgren is widely regarded as the greatest American pin-up and glamour artist, and his iconic works have. . .
1914-1980 | American
Sheer Nonsense
Signed “Elvgren” (lower left)
Oil on canvas
Gil Elvgren’s work defined the golden age of American pin-up art, exemplified by this delightful oil on canvas. The composition captures the charm and exuberant allure of its blonde subject as she pulls on her stockings against a vibrant pink ground. Elvgren is widely regarded as the greatest American pin-up and glamour artist, and his iconic works have. . .
Read More
Gil Elvgren
1914-1980 | American
Sheer Nonsense
Signed “Elvgren” (lower left)
Oil on canvas
Gil Elvgren’s work defined the golden age of American pin-up art, exemplified by this delightful oil on canvas. The composition captures the charm and exuberant allure of its blonde subject as she pulls on her stockings against a vibrant pink ground. Elvgren is widely regarded as the greatest American pin-up and glamour artist, and his iconic works have become an enduring facet of the American artistic landscape. Sheer Nonsense, originally published in the 1954 Brown & Bigelow calendar, is further distinguished by two accompanying advertising blotters from December 1954 and 1955.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Elvgren began his artistic education at the Minneapolis Art Institute and later the American Academy of Art. His first job upon graduation was at the Chicago advertising firm of Stevens and Gross, working directly under Haddon Sundblom, famous for his Coca-Cola Santas. Elvgren would soon become his star pupil, contributing much to the Coca-Cola campaigns and eagerly learning techniques that he would carry into his famed pin-ups.
After completing several special commissions with rave reviews, Elvgren began producing pin-up work in 1937 for the Louis F. Dow Calendar Company, then the largest retailer of calendars in the United States. Almost overnight, he became one of the most respected and successful commercial artists of his generation. Demand quickly outpaced his output, with commissions booking him at least a year in advance. In 1944, Brown & Bigelow offered him a staff position, and from that point on, for the next 30 years, Elvgren enjoyed extraordinary commercial success unmatched by any other American artist of his day, producing the majority of his work for the firm while also working for magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and Good Housekeeping, as well as major corporations including Sealy Mattresses, General Electric and Coca-Cola.
Circa 1954
Canvas: 29 1/4" high x 23 1/2" wide (74.3 x 59.7 cm)
Frame: 34" high x 28" wide x 2" deep (86.4 x 71.1 x 5.1 cm)
Literature:
Charles G. Martignette and Louis K. Meisel, Gil Elvgren: All His Glamorous American Pin-Ups, Taschen, 1999, p. 160, fig. 392 (illustrated)
Provenance:
Private collection, New York
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
1914-1980 | American
Sheer Nonsense
Signed “Elvgren” (lower left)
Oil on canvas
Gil Elvgren’s work defined the golden age of American pin-up art, exemplified by this delightful oil on canvas. The composition captures the charm and exuberant allure of its blonde subject as she pulls on her stockings against a vibrant pink ground. Elvgren is widely regarded as the greatest American pin-up and glamour artist, and his iconic works have become an enduring facet of the American artistic landscape. Sheer Nonsense, originally published in the 1954 Brown & Bigelow calendar, is further distinguished by two accompanying advertising blotters from December 1954 and 1955.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Elvgren began his artistic education at the Minneapolis Art Institute and later the American Academy of Art. His first job upon graduation was at the Chicago advertising firm of Stevens and Gross, working directly under Haddon Sundblom, famous for his Coca-Cola Santas. Elvgren would soon become his star pupil, contributing much to the Coca-Cola campaigns and eagerly learning techniques that he would carry into his famed pin-ups.
After completing several special commissions with rave reviews, Elvgren began producing pin-up work in 1937 for the Louis F. Dow Calendar Company, then the largest retailer of calendars in the United States. Almost overnight, he became one of the most respected and successful commercial artists of his generation. Demand quickly outpaced his output, with commissions booking him at least a year in advance. In 1944, Brown & Bigelow offered him a staff position, and from that point on, for the next 30 years, Elvgren enjoyed extraordinary commercial success unmatched by any other American artist of his day, producing the majority of his work for the firm while also working for magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and Good Housekeeping, as well as major corporations including Sealy Mattresses, General Electric and Coca-Cola.
Circa 1954
Canvas: 29 1/4" high x 23 1/2" wide (74.3 x 59.7 cm)
Frame: 34" high x 28" wide x 2" deep (86.4 x 71.1 x 5.1 cm)
Literature:
Charles G. Martignette and Louis K. Meisel, Gil Elvgren: All His Glamorous American Pin-Ups, Taschen, 1999, p. 160, fig. 392 (illustrated)
Provenance:
Private collection, New York
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Read Less
Specifications
| Maker: | Elvgren, Gil |
| Period: | 1919-Present |
| Origin: | America |
| Type: | Paintings |
| Style: | Illustration |
| Depth: | 2.0 in. (5.08 cm) |
| Width: | 28.0 in. (71.12 cm) |
| Height: | 34.0 in. (86.36 cm) |
| Canvas Width: | 23.500 in. (59.69 cm) |
| Canvas Height: | 29.250 in. (74.3 cm) |
Buy with Confidence
At M.S. Rau, we are committed to building a long-term, rewarding relationship with each and every client. That’s why your purchase is backed by our 125% guarantee.
Learn More
