Portrait of a Handsome Man Oil Painting by Mid Century Artist

We are so proud to offer this original work of art by legendary Palm Springs artist O. E. L. Graves. We discovered his work when we first purchased a second home here in 1997. His work was very difficult to come across, but stories about Mr. Graves were legendary, and the first art we saw of his were his extraordinary and very collectible cover art for vintage mid century Palm Springs villager magazines which we found at some thrift stores! We have since collected 8 original paintings. This is the Rolls-Royce of the collection. His artwork is now collected by a new generation of the Palm Springs younger rich and famous entertainment industry that have brought new life to the town with Coachella Music Festival and the endearing architecture Palm Springs is famous for! We purchased an amazing coffee table book by French photographer Robert Doisneau called “Palm Springs 1960” Mr Graves himself and his artwork is featured in wonderful 1960s vintage photographs. This spurred on more collectors looking for his paintings. This large painting was definitely owned by a Palm Springs/Beverly Hills client. His work was even sought out by Rockefeller that wanted to buy a painting of Mr. Graves that he refused to sell! The paintings were very expensive. Just the original painting’s framing alone shows how chic and special it was. The subject is a bird in its cage with a clock in the corner, In shades of silver, green, black and gold. There is a name on the painting, along side Mr. Graves signature we believe to be the title of the painting, “Orsi” It is such an extraordinary painting! Please check out the pictures to see the amazing color and details of this work. O. E. L. Graves (1897 - 1971) Graves was an American artist and painter/sculptor based in Palm Springs, California during Hollywood's golden years. His client list included many of the rich and famous of his era, from movie stars (Clark Gable, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Janet Gaynor) to business magnates (Raymond Loewys, George R. Hearst Sr.) to shady criminal kingpins. His own personal life was just as full of high intrigue and secrecy as the famous clients he cultivated. As a result, his need to maintain a relatively low profile in his private life has relegated him to near obscurity in death as an artist. Graves experimented constantly with new media and techniques for expressing his art. His works include delicate watercolors, fine detailed portraits, impressionistic oils, sculptures in metal, and some techniques of his own invention. Graves claims to have invented "sculpted oil painting", where multiple layers of thick oil paint are placed on masonite and then cut away to create the image. His sculpted oil paintings were displayed in some of the trendiest galleries and art museums, including the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, which purchased some of his sculpted paintings after they had been shown there. Winthrop Rockefeller...

From a important 25 plus years collection of Male Physique and Beefcake Photography, Image # 8 of male model Barry Adkins. Printed in the 1960s and are all signed by the studio when Mr. Bruce Bellas aka Bruce of LA was alive. Beautifully, professionally framed. Double white mat and simple black frame. All orig photos are 8 x 10. Framed: 16.50" W x 19" H. Other images from this L.A gallery show on separate listings... please check often while we list more every week. These photographs are very hard to shoot under glass. They are sharp, clear photographs printed the old fashioned way, by hand in the late 50s and early 60s. BIO: Bruce Harry Bellas (July 7, 1909 – July 1974) was an American photographer. He was influential in his work with male physiques and nudes. Bellas was well known under the pseudonym Bruce of Los Angeles. History and influence: Bruce Harry Bellas was born in Alliance, Nebraska on July 7, 1909. He worked as a chemistry teacher there until 1947, when he began photographing bodybuilders in Los Angeles, California, beginning with taking pictures of bodybuilding competitions. In 1956, Bellas launched his own magazine, The Male Figure. Among physique photographers, Bellas' work was noted for having a distinctly campy, tongue-in-cheek sensibility. Bellas also produced a number of early homoerotic 8 mm films with titles such as Cowboy Washup and Big Gun for Hire. Bellas was known to travel around the country, finding new models to photograph and also personally delivering nude photographs to customers, since they were liable to be seized by postal inspectors if sent through the mail. An extensive archive of Bellas' nude male physique...

A very large framed portrait painting of a man in a giltwood frame. The subject in this piece depicts a man who reminds us of Don Draper from ...

A fantastic vintage original oil painting on canvas. A chic MCM portrait of a dashing man in glasses.signed by the artist. Acquired from a Palm Beach estate