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Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

American, 1874-1951

Joseph Christian "J.C." Leyendecker was born in Germany in 1874. He immigrated to the United States with his family in 1882. His eldest brother, Adolph, became a prominent stained glass artist, and Joe, as he was called, had an early artistic calling. 

After studying at the Chicago Art Institute under John H. Vanderpoel, J.C. Leyendecker enrolled at the Académie Julien in 1896, where he studied for a year with his younger brother Frank in the Beaux-Arts tradition. During his time there, he was exposed to and influenced by the works of Art Nouveau painters and printmakers Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jules Chéret and Alphonse Mucha, with whom he formed a strong friendship. The next year, he staged his first one-man exhibition at the Salon du Champ-de-Mars and made the auspicious acquaintance of Paul Gauguin

In 1898, Leyendecker produced the first of 48 covers for Collier’s magazine. The next year, he painted his first cover for The Saturday Evening Post magazine, which was the beginning of a 44-year association with that esteemed publication. Throughout his career, he would also paint covers for Life magazine, illustrations for a library of books, and transform advertising for such companies as B. Kuppenheimer & Co. and Interwoven Socks. His work for Arrow Shirt is the most well-known and beloved. 

Using his lover and manager, Charles Beach, as a model, Leyendecker created the ultimate image of modern American masculinity. His work for Kuppenheimer, also known as the House of Kuppenheimer, is just as iconic. Founded in 1876, the company became the manufacturer of uniforms for the United States Army during World War I. Thanks to Leyendecker's advertising, the firm became synonymous with the ultimate in male taste and desirability. 

Unfortunately, near the end of his career, as Leyendecker’s associations with Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post came to an end, his work fell into obscurity. When he died in 1951, his great friend Norman Rockwell, who commemorated their relationship in his painting Waiting for the Art Editor, served as one of his pallbearers.

Find original J.C. Leyendecker prints and paintings on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by M.S. Rau)

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Period: 1940s
Artist: Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Amoco Gas Advertisement
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Amoco Gas Advertisement
Category

1940s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Three Amoco Studies
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signed by Artist Lower Right Amoco Oil Advertisements
Category

1940s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"The Postman Always Drinks Twice", Preliminary Study for Life Magazine
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned Preliminary study for Life magazine, Circa 1941. Features a study of the work titled; "The Postman Always Drinks...
Category

1940s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A Real Happy New Year, Amoco Advertisement
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Monogram Lower Left Sight Size 20.00" x 45.00", Framed 26.00" x 51.00" This piece was used for at least two separate Amoco advertisements. "A Real Happy New...
Category

1940s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study for 'Happy Landing' Amoco Ad
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil and Pencil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned During his over four decades as the preeminent illustrator for The Saturday Evening Post, Joseph Christian Leyendecker's clever illustrations were eagerly anticipated by enthusiastic readership across the country, and none more so than his holiday designs. One of Leyendecker's most celebrated creations was his groundbreaking idea of the New Year's Baby. Originally portrayed as a fleshy sweet-faced child complete with tiny angel wings, the New Year's Baby gradually morphed into a worldly tot acutely aware of the social and political issues facing the nation at the time. In fact, Leyendecker's final Post cover illustration was the 1943 New Year's Baby. Following the success of these Post covers, the artist was hired to create advertisements for the American Oil Company (AMOCO). Throughout the 1940s and through the final years of his life, Leyendecker produced ads incorporating his famed New Year's Baby into AMOCO advertisements, as in the present work, Happy Landing...
Category

1940s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Pencil

New Year's Baby Hitching to War
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Left The Saturday Evening Post unpublished cover, 1943 The story behind the New Year's Baby Hitching to War is a fascinating one: The...
Category

1940s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Happy Landing, Amoco Advertisement
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Left Sight Size 20.75" x 40.00", Framed 30.75" x 50.00" During his over four decades as the preeminent illustrator for The Saturday Evening Post, Joseph Christian Leyendecker's clever illustrations were eagerly anticipated by enthusiastic readership across the country, and none more so than his holiday designs. One of Leyendecker's most celebrated creations was his groundbreaking idea of the New Year's Baby. Originally portrayed as a fleshy sweet-faced child complete with tiny angel wings, the New Year's Baby gradually morphed into a worldly tot acutely aware of the social and political issues facing the nation at the time. In fact, Leyendecker's final Post cover illustration was the 1943 New Year's Baby. Following the success of these Post covers, the artist was hired to create advertisements for the American Oil Company (AMOCO). Throughout the 1940s and through the final years of his life, Leyendecker produced ads incorporating his famed New Year's Baby into AMOCO advertisements, as in the present work, Happy Landing...
Category

1940s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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Joseph Christian Leyendecker figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Joseph Christian Leyendecker figurative paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of figurative paintings to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange, green and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Joseph Christian Leyendecker in paint, oil paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Joseph Christian Leyendecker figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inch across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Leslie Thrasher, Hunt Slonem, and Adam Mysock. Joseph Christian Leyendecker figurative paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $6,900 and tops out at $855,000, while the average work can sell for $114,500.

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