Art Frahm

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Art Frahm
Frahm painting c. 1950s
Born
Arthur Ernest Frahm

(1906-05-27)May 27, 1906
East Chicago, Indiana, U.S.
DiedFebruary 12, 1981(1981-02-12) (aged 74)
Fountain Inn, South Carolina, U.S.
Years active1920–1980s
Known for
  • Pin-up art
  • commercial art

Arthur Ernest Frahm (May 5, 1906 – February 12, 1981)[1] was an American painter and commercial artist, best known for his campy paintings of pin-up girls in the 1950s.[2] Frahm's playful Americana style has been compared with that of Norman Rockwell.[3]

Biography

Frahm was born in East Chicago, Indiana, in 1906.[1] As a child, he was an avid drawer, and later took weekend classes at the Art Institute of Chicago.[1][4] He subsequently joined the Chicago firm Ziprodt, designing window displays for merchants, before resigning to become a full time illustrator.[4] For the rest of his career, Frahm ran his own studio as a freelancer. Beginning in the 1920s, he illustrated advertisements for a wide variety of companies, including Coca-Cola, Schlitz, Quaker Oats, and Libby's.[4] Frahm continued to paint during his service in the U.S. Army during World War II.[3]

Frahm's commercial peak was in the 1950s. Each installment of his "ladies in distress" pin-up series featured a woman whose underwear had fallen to her ankles in an everyday situation—such as carrying groceries, bowling, or changing a tire—much to the delight of male onlookers.[5][6] Frahm's publisher, Joseph C. Hoover and Sons, sold millions of calendars with the campy artwork, making it one of the most successful pinup series of the twentieth century.[2]

In the 1960s, Frahm created two popular calendar series: one following a band of fun-loving hobos traveling from Miami to San Francisco,[3] and another depicting policemen teaching safety measures to children.[2] Later in his career, while continuing to do commercial work, Frahm's tastes shifted to portraits and landscapes.[4]

Frahm moved his family to North Carolina in 1954 before setting in Fountain Inn, South Carolina,[3] where he died on February 12, 1981, aged 74. He was survived by his wife Ruth and daughter Diana.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Well-Known Artist, Frahm, Dies at 74". The Greenville News. February 14, 1981. p. 6C.
  2. ^ a b c Martignette, Charles G.; Meisel, Louis K. (1996). The Great American Pin-Up. Cologne, Germany: Taschen. pp. 45, 234. ISBN 3-8228-1701-5.
  3. ^ a b c d Keeler, Scott (March 29, 2016). "Fountain Inn show will display Americana artist Art Frahm's work". The Greenville News. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d Hays, Tommy (October 5, 1980). "From His Palate Came Advertising's 'Sweet Portraits'". The State Magazine. p. 11.
  5. ^ Buszek, Maria Elena (2006). Pin-Up Grrrls: Feminism, Sexuality, Popular Culture. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. p. 236. ISBN 0-8223-3746-0.
  6. ^ Turner, Paul (May 25, 2006). "Maybe "Hooterville Is the Place to Be". The Spokesman-Review. p. D1. ...Frahm's specialty was depictions of attractive women whose underpants had unexpectedly fallen down to their ankles in public settings...there were always a few male onlookers delighted...