Frank Frazetta has reigned as the undisputed king of fantasy art for well over 50 years, with the value of his paintings climbing as high as his fans’ admiration. Each year, his works break the previous year’s auction records, showcasing their immense appeal and significance.

Born to a Sicilian immigrant family in Brooklyn in 1928, Frazetta was a minor league athlete, petty criminal, and possessed movie star looks along with phenomenal talent. Self-described as lazy and difficult, he often started a painting the night before it was due, completing it in mere hours, yet delivering a masterpiece—often still wet, but a masterpiece, nonetheless.

He began his career in comics at age 16, including work with the infamous EC Comics, before moving on to film posters, and then Tarzan and Conan pulp covers. Along the way, he produced magazine covers for National Lampoon, despite being at odds with the editors’ “hippy politics.” He also made the animated film Fire & Ice with director Ralph Bakshi and learned to paint left-handed at age 68 after the first of many strokes paralyzed his right hand.

As he explained in the 1970s, “I’m very physical minded. In Brooklyn, I knew Conan, I knew guys just like him.” Using this first-hand knowledge of muscle and macho, he redefined fantasy heroes as more massive, menacing, and testosterone-fueled than anything seen before. Similarly, their female counterparts were depicted as thick-thighed, heavy-buttocked, and pixie-faced, yet still, with their soft bellies and hints of cellulite, believably real.

All in all, Frazetta’s art is addictive as potato chips, now available in a compact, attractive and affordable package.

Pages: 96, Dimensions: 21x21cm