Buick Electra 225 Car Advertisement Automobilia

Allan Kass, American, 1917–2005
n 1962, the fine art and museum worlds were absorbed by the later stages of Abstract Expressionism, the introduction of Hard Edge Abstraction, and the rise of Pop Art. Realism was something to react to and evolve from. It was off the table, except in the commercial art world. Artist/Illustrator Allan Kass is a clear example of how a highly talented and versatile artist can reach vast audiences without receiving credit for his artistic skills. In the present work, he essentially paints a large still life (the car) with detached objectivity and precise detail. The car is correctly proportioned and in proper perspective. Cass then switches gear and depicts a scene of six immensely happy people caught at a peak moment of dramatic emotion. Painted on a small scale, each face is masterfully observed, projecting joviality, and is rendered in a quick, loose style to contrast with the tightly rendered car. Both the car and the figures are silhouetted against a white ground. With the exception of a few artists, Illustration Art has not yet been recognized by the museum world as an essential art form. Yet the practitioners of the genre, such as Allan Kass, are clearly brilliant artists. Perhaps now is the moment for art historians to look back on the early 1960s and to elevate the Illustration art alongside Abstract Expressionism, Hard Edge Abstraction, and Pop Art. What would we call this newly recognized but overlooked art movement? A name like "Commercial Idealism" may work, since the car is shown in the best possible light, and the people around it, hugging it, are shown in an almost exaggerated state of joy. Life can't get any better than owning a Buick. The artwork fulfills the advertisers' intention at the time to showcase their product in the best conceivable light, thereby communicating an aspirational reality to their prospects, which would then sell their cars.
Gouache on board - Unframed
11-1/4 x 28-3/4 inches (28.6 x 73.0 cm)
Signed on the reverse: Allan Kass
US$14,000 plus shipping