A Baker’s Dozen of Collectable Genre Artists
January 19th, 2007 by Alan Chudnow
Hooray, hurrah, another list! This time of marvelous genre artists. One of the less frequent themes for a book collection is a focus on the artist who illustrates the cover, dust jacket or interior illustrations. Such a collection can be a wonderful showcase of a particular artist showing diversity, style development over a career or just plain fantastic art.
I’ve met a couple of fellow collectors who are considerably less concerned with the contents of the books they acquire than with the artist who created the cover. They showcase the artist and the book is just a vehicle to display the art. For those of us who love the books as well, combining the focus on great artwork and collectible books can make for a truly stellar collection as, for example, in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series of paperbacks which feature some of the best fantasy artwork in the field.
Again, as with my previous post on the Twenty Collectible Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Authors, this list in not meant to be a top artists list nor is it meant to be comprehensive or definitive. It is a list of artists that I feel are truly excellent and have had a significant impact on the genre. Each of them worthy of collecting.
As always, I’m interested in artists that you would consider adding to the list. Please add a comment or write me and let me know who you think are collectible artist in the field.
- Alicia Austin
Characterized by a fresh, simple illustrative style, Austin’s work evokes grandeur of high fantasy like few others. Her illustrations for C.L. Moore’s Black God’s Shadow (1977) have made it one of the most prized volumes on many collectors’ lists. A favorite of fantasy art collectors. - George Barr
One of the most under-recognized artists still working in the field. He has been doing excellent cover art both for magazines and novels for the last 30 years. Early work is distinguished by a unique style of using colored ball-point pens as a sole medium, a truly unique style. - Edd Cartier
One of the best of the Golden Age illustrators, Cartier is best known for his outstanding science fiction and fantasy drawing for Astounding Science Fiction magazine as well as books published by Fantasy Press and Gnome Press. His appearance on the cover makes those publications particularly desirable by many collectors. - Vincent DiFate
Repeatedly awarded for his mastery of technological space art, DiFate has been producing excellent cover art since the late 60s. His work depicts mechanical marvels and far frontiers of a future technocracy built on complicated machinery. In addition to science fiction he has created astronomical and aerospace works for such clients as IBM, The Reader’s Digest, The National Geographic Society, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. - Leo & Diane Dillon
Introducing a unique modern approach, the husband and wife team’s covers for many of Harlan Ellison’s paperbacks are classics in the genre. A number of the Ace Science Fiction Specials feature their work as well. Their modernistic style is widely popular with both fans and authors and is one of the few examples of such a technique being used in the genre. - Virgil Finley
Working mostly in the pulp era, Finley became famous for his painstaking stippled pen and ink technique. A hugely prolific artist despite his time intensive technique, Finley covers of Weird Tales magazine along with his infrequent books cover illustrations are a favorite of genre art collectors. - Frank Frazetta
Probably one of the most famous science fiction and fantasy artists, his work is renown for powerful, strong men and stunning women locked in battle with monstrous creatures. Particular favorites for collectors are his covers for the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels published by Ace Books and the Conan covers for the Lancer book series. - Kelly Freas
Freas is one of the classic SF illustrators from the 50s. Hugely popular, many of his covers for Astounding magazine, Ballantine Books, Ace, Lancers and Daw are considered legendary. Equally prolific working out of the genre he painted many early covers for MAD magazine and was commissioned to paint the Skylab I insignia design and posters promoting the space program. His penchant for sexy women and amiable aliens has become part of today’s science fiction visual language. - Jeff Jones
Jones’ work graced a number of paperback covers in the 60s and 70s. His first works owed much to the popularity of Frazetta at the time but soon his style began to differ from his contemporaries by taking on a more fine art sensibility. His series of covers for Lancer books is particularly popular among fans. - Tim Kirk
Kirk’s wonderfully whimsical monsters, mysterious structures, odd alien spaceships and quirky cartoon style have made him a fan favorite for many years. His work appears on many favorite titles from DAW Books, Ballantine Books, Mirage Press and in an alarming array of science fiction convention program books and fan publications. - Jim Steranko
Perhaps most famous for his innovative work during the Silver Age of comics, most notably Marvel’s “Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. comics. Steranko also illustrated a number of paperback covers including a series of Pyramid Book reissues of the 1930s The Shadow pulp novels and several of the Lancer series books. His work is highly lauded among fans and fellow artists. - James Warhola
A particular favorite of mine. Warhola’s illustrations are full of fantastical whimsy and lighthearted humor. Gary Lovisi says Warhola’s aliens are “probably the greatest aliens outside of Barclay Shaw’s”. He has designed over 300 science-fiction and fantasy covers for the works of such noted authors as Spider Robinson, Robert Heinlein, and William Gibson. A detail of his wonderful piece “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” serves as the banner illustration of this site. - Michael Whelan
Another hugely popular cover artist, Whelan’s style of stunning realism makes his works a favorite of authors and fans alike. His art has appeared on over 350 book and magazine covers illustrating most the biggest names in the genre. Always a wonder and highly collectable.
Orbiting Satellites
Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie has a number of wonderful science fiction bookplates.
Locus Online has over 500 pix you can peruse in their 2006 Cover Art Gallery.
The Visual Index of Science Fiction Cover Art has a large selection of cover art indexed by artist.
SF Cover Explorer is a wacky but addictive interactive montage of genre covers that you should check out. Notice I said “interactive”!
Thank you Alan, for mentioning Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie. On 2/4/07 I will have a special issue devoted to SF artist’s bookplates and will include one by George Barr.
Leo & Diane Dillon are also very active children’s book illustrators. They did a wonderful job illustrating the re-release of Ray Bradbury’s children’s book SWITCH ON THE NIGHT published in 1993. (Original edition pub. 1955.)
Dana,
Yes, a number of the artists mentioned also do superb work outside the genre. The Dillon’s, as you say, have won awards for their children’s book illustrations, James Warhola is also well known for his work in children’s books, DiFate has had a number of non-genre exhibitions throughout the world, most of Alicia Austin’s current work in heavily influenced by American Indian folk art. In addition, all of these artists also have had books published about them. Also collectible.