Lion in Bowler Hat Graphic in Yellow, Red Blue, Holiday Magazine Mid-Century 1958

A high-impact graphic of a whimsical Lion sporting a bowler hat is depicted for a cover for Holiday Magazine, April 1958. The issue was about England, and the editors finally ran a Giusti painting of a lion with a crown instead of a lion with a bowler. The crown version places more emphasis on the crown than the lion. The art is characterized by solid flat color and hard lines, the hallmarks of graphic designer/ artist/ illustrator George Giusti's style. This mid-century look was pioneered by Giusit and a few others for Magazines such Fortune, Holiday and Time. Given the clutter of newsstands at the time, it was a perfect visual to stand out and to catch the attention of a passerby.
The vast majority of Giusti's work is in the Cary Graphic Artis Collection at Rochester Institute of Technology / RIT and that make this work rare. The work is signed lower right and stamped on version. It was a prosal for a cover of Holiday Magazine - English Edition. The work is unframe and in mint condition. 15 x 10-inch is board. size.
George Giusti, Italian. American 1908 - 1990
Acrylic and Ink on Illustration Board
8 - 8 inches
$7,000 Plus Shipping

George got his training at the Accademia di Belle Arte di Brera, Milan. He had a Swiss father and an Italian mother and worked in advertising agencies in Milan, and Lugano, Switzerland. Opened his own studio in Zürich between 1930–37. Emigrated in 1938 to the United States, where he started his own studio in New York. Worked on the Swiss Pavilion with Herbert Matter for the NY World’s Fair 1939. Also worked for the US Departments of Agriculture, the Army Corps and the Offi ce of Strategic Service, designing posters, exhibitions and publicity material. For twelve years he was a design consultant for Geigy Pharmaceuticals; the work he did for them is characterized by a simplifi ed, symbolic style. In 1960 he joined the guiding faculty of the Famous Artists School in Westport, CT. Giusti also taught at Cooper Union. He was elected Art Director of the Year 1958 and awarded the Gold T-Square. Giusti was elected to the ADC Hall of Fame in 1979. Bio: Alliance Graphique Internationale