Art Frahm | |
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 Frahm painting c. 1950s | |
| Born | Arthur Ernest Frahm May 27, 1906 Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | February 12, 1981 (aged 74) |
| Known for |
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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]
Frahm was born in 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]