Gil ELVGREN
Gil ELVGREN, Self-portrait
Gillette A. ELVGREN was born in 1914, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He studied at the Minnesota Art Institute Architecture Department but soon realized that he loved painting more, for this reason, he moved to Chicago with his young wife to study at the American Academy of Art. Elvgren started producing pin-up girls in 1937 for the publishing company Louis F. Dow, however, in 1944 he moved to Brown and Bigelow, where his contract specified between 18 and 20 pin-ups per year. From the mid-1930s through 1972, Elvgren produced over 500 oil paintings for commercial use, including illustrations for Coca-Cola, calendars, major magazines, and advertising agencies. He drew from the tradition of “pretty girl” and embodied the American dream of a comfortable family lifestyle.
Considered one of the most important pin-up painters of the 20th century, Gil Elvgren created iconic images of the all-American feminine ideal. His artworks influenced many other pin-up artists.
Gil ELVGREN, Self-portrait
Gillette A. ELVGREN was born in 1914, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He studied at the Minnesota Art Institute Architecture Department but soon realized that he loved painting more, for this reason, he moved to Chicago with his young wife to study at the American Academy of Art. Elvgren started producing pin-up girls in 1937 for the publishing company Louis F. Dow, however, in 1944 he moved to Brown and Bigelow, where his contract specified between 18 and 20 pin-ups per year. From the mid-1930s through 1972, Elvgren produced over 500 oil paintings for commercial use, including illustrations for Coca-Cola, calendars, major magazines, and advertising agencies. He drew from the tradition of “pretty girl” and embodied the American dream of a comfortable family lifestyle.
Considered one of the most important pin-up painters of the 20th century, Gil Elvgren created iconic images of the all-American feminine ideal. His artworks influenced many other pin-up artists.
