{"product_id":"sheer-nonsense-by-gil-elvgren","title":"Sheer Nonsense by Gil Elvgren","description":"Gil Elvgren\u003cbr\u003e 1914-1980 | American \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eSheer Nonsense\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Signed “Elvgren” (lower left)\u003cbr\u003e Oil on canvas \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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. \u003cem\u003eSheer Nonsense\u003c\/em\u003e, originally published in the 1954 Brown \u0026amp; Bigelow calendar, is further distinguished by two accompanying advertising blotters from December 1954 and 1955. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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 \u0026amp; 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 \u003cem\u003eThe Saturday Evening Post\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eGood Housekeeping\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as major corporations including Sealy Mattresses, General Electric and Coca-Cola. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Circa 1954 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Canvas: 29 1\/4\" high x 23 1\/2\" wide (74.3 x 59.7 cm)\u003cbr\u003e Frame: 34\" high x 28\" wide x 2\" deep (86.4 x 71.1 x 5.1 cm) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Literature:\u003cbr\u003e Charles G. Martignette and Louis K. Meisel, \u003cem\u003eGil Elvgren: All His Glamorous American Pin-Ups\u003c\/em\u003e, Taschen, 1999, p. 160, fig. 392 (illustrated) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Provenance:\u003cbr\u003e Private collection, New York\u003cbr\u003e M.S. Rau, New Orleans","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44585705668743,"sku":"32-2608","price":148500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/32-2608_1_e9b47d2e-d451-406a-b704-57b426e76566.png?v=1778520201","url":"https:\/\/rauantiques.com\/products\/sheer-nonsense-by-gil-elvgren","provider":"M.S. Rau","version":"1.0","type":"link"}