By Fritz Willis
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left, 'Fritz Willis' (American, 1907-1979) and painted circa 1960.
A delicately modeled example of the work of this notable American illustrator showing a suitably sultry 'sex-kitten', wearing a fur stole, silk stockings and a 'come-hither' expression, with a white-gloved forefinger pointing provocatively to her lower lip and her pinkie extended.
Although Fritz Willis published his first pinup as early as 1946, his iconography is more representative of the end of the era of pinups. His models often have more of an introspective maturity; more wanton and confident than Elvgren or Petty's coy and girlish pinups with their toothy grins. He created numerous advertisements for national, front-line products including Pepsi, Max Factor and Sunkist. Willis also illustrated stories for Esquire and the Saturday Evening Post and created covers for all Ice Follies...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Realist Fritz Willis Art
MaterialsCanvas, Oil, Board