Welcome to...The Fonz Gallery!

The Fonz Gallery is conveniently located in Pleasantville, USA.

This gallery has a unique 1950s theme to it. We specifically showcase artwork from the nifty fifties that focus on icons of the era such as: Coke-A-Cola, Santa Claus, Betty Boop and Hula Hoops.

If, for some reason, you find that you're not satisfied with your visit, feel free to contact the owner...the one and only.....Henry Winkler at 1(800) 123-ayyy.

Have a great visit, guys and dolls!

The Girl Next Door: The Exhibition.

The Girl Next Door is an exhibition that showcases pinup artists from the 30s to the 50s.
All artists had different meanings to their art but all created the image we know today as "the girl next door."
We selectively chose artists that were the most well-known for their pinup art.

In this exhibition, you will see the works of:

Alberto Vargas                                   Gil Elvgren
Billy De Vorss                                    Zoe Mosert
Rolf Armstrong                                  Arnold Armitage
T.N. Thompson                                  George Petty
Earl MacPherson                                Art Frahm

ENJOY! (:

Alberto Vargas

"Marilyn Monroe" by Alberto Vargas

Watercolor and pencil on board

29.5x19.5in.

1953

"Jane Russell" by Alberto Vargas

28.5x19.5in.

Watercolor and pencil on board

1942

     Pinup artist Alberto Vargas was born in 1896 in Peru to the photographer Max Vargas. While taking a trip to Geneva, Vargas decided that's where he was going to study. He lived there until 1916 where he immigrated to New York.

     While in the Big Apple, Vargas was so fascinated by American women. His first job was drawing fashion designs in watercolor and ink for the Adelson Hat Company.

     In late 1919, an employee of Ziegfeld Follies saw Vargas painting in a store window and asked him to show his work to Mr. Ziegfeld. Barely a day later, Vargas was working on twelve portraits of the Ziegfeld Follies for the lobby of the New Amsterdam theatre.

     In 1929, Vargas worked for the Paramount Pictures' New York department and made the original artwork for the film "Glorifying the American Girl." Vargas actually ended up meeting his wife, Anna Mae Ciift, on the set of the movie.

    Once married, the couple started their lives together by moving to Hollywood where Alberto worked for Warner Brothers and MGM studios.

     In 1941, Esquire Magazine hired Vargas as a replacement for the then-popular George Petty, whose contract expired that December. Within two months of being hired, Esquire published the first Varga Girl calendar which sold more copies than any other calendar before.

     Due to the calendar's major success, many stars of the time wanted to pose for Vargas. The stars who posed included: Ann Sheridan, Jane Russell, and Marilyn Monroe.

     Most people recognize Vargas for the 152 paintings he created for Playboy. Out of all his works, only two of which were front-cover images: an issue in 1961 and the March 1965 issue.

     When his wife died in 1974, Vargas lost most of his interest in art. Alberto Vargas passed away on December 30, 1982 in Los Angeles.

Billy De Vorss

"The Perfect Wave" by Billy De Vorss

8x10in.

Pastel on board

1945

"Pose Please" by Billy De Vorss

8x10in

Pastel on board

1946

     WIlliam Albartus De Vorss was born in Missouri in 1908. He graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1934 and had already sold three of his pinups to the Louis F. Dow Calendar Company.

     In the late 30s, De Vorss's talent was picked up by the Brown and Bigelow Calendar-publishing house.

     De Vorss used a large variety of pastel colors for his work and preferred to use his fingers instead of brushes to paint. His art displays a flowing, graceful line and occasionally includes clashing colors.

     De Vorss settled in Scottsdale, Arizona in the 60s, where he passed away in 1985 at the age of 77.

Rolf Armstrong

"Golden Girl" by Rolf Armstrong

Oil on canvas

8x10in.

1933

"Let's Get Together" by Rolf Armstrong

Sketch and Oil

8x10in.

1940

     Rolf Armstrong was born in Seattle, Washington in 1899 and moved to Chicago in 1908 where he enrolled at the Art Institute immediately after high school.

     In 1919, Armstrong founded a studio in Greenwich Village where he painted Ziegfeld Follies Girls. In 1921, he moved to Minneapolis to study calendar production at Brown and Bigelow. 

     During the 1930s, Armstrong's pinup art was displayed on a lot of sheet music and mainstream film magazines. Armstrong was known for the celebrities that posed for him--including Katherine Hepburn and Greta Garbo.

     In 1927, he became known as the best-selling calendar artist at Brown and Bigelow. With more than two million copies sold of the 1926 issue.

    At a War Advertising Conference in Minneapolis, Armstrong said:

     "When I paint, I want the living person in front of me. As I look at her again and again while I work, I get a thousand fresh, vivid impressions...all the glow, exuberance, and spontaneous joy that leaps from a young and happy heart."

     

     Armstrong was inspired by the true beauty in people, art, and nature. He died on February 22, 1960 surrounded by the beauty of Oahu in Hawaii.

Earl MacPherson

"Going Places" by Earl MacPherson

8x10in.

Oil on canvas

1941

"At Your Command" by Earl MacPherson

8x10in.

Oil on canvas

1942.

     Edgar Earl MacPherson was born in August, 1910 in Oklahoma. He moved to LA directly after high school to take classes at Chouinard School of Art. MacPherson's first part time job was painting movie posters at a theatre downtown. 

     By the late 1930s, he was hired by the "Kings of Pinup" aka Brown and Bigelow. Although he loved working for them, MacPherson stated that he was having trouble 'making the grade' in such a large company. A year after leaving them, he created one of his most famous pinups "At Your Command" in 1942. He sold his original sketch to the Lucky Strike cigarette company and made enough profit to settle down in Del Mar, California by 1946. While in his early retirement, MacPherson wrote and illustrated the 'How to' art book titled "How to Draw and Paint Beautiful Girls" in 1954. Earl MacPherson was diagnosed with polio in 1951 and survived until December 1993.

T.N. Thompson

"Want to See Me Swing My Baton?" by T.N. Thompson

8x10in.

Sketch and watercolor

1952

"I Certainly Keep Abreast of the Times" by T.N. Thompson

8x10in.

Sketch and watercolor

1952

     T.N. Thompson was Earl MacPherson's assistant starting in 1948. His original name was Jerry Thompson but he chose to sign his artwork under the pseudonym 'T.N.' to protect his identity.

     In 1951, Thompson had taken on the responsibility of painting the annual 'MacPherson SKetch Book' for the Shaw-Barton Calendar Company because MacPherson's Polio was too advanced.

     Thompson continued painting for the calendar until 1958 when he started selling his images to the John Baumgarth Calendar Company. 

     In 1952, Thompson's image "Want to See Me Swing My Baton?" issued in that edition of the calendar became Thompson's most famous pinup. More than a million copies were sold to advertisers who wanted the All-American look.

     In 1958, he created his own calendar titled "Studio Sketches" that didn't sell very well. Later in his life, he became more of a cartoon artist and ended pu moving as far away as possible from MacPherson's influence.