Arthur Pinajian

Last updated
Arthur Pinajian
BornArthur Ashod Pinajian
1914
Died1999
Bellport, New York
Nationality Armenian American
Area(s)Writer, Artist
Pseudonym(s)Art Gordon
Art Franklin
Jay Fletcher
Tohm Dixon
Tomm Dixon
Notable works
 Madame Fatal
Invisible Hood

Arthur A. (Art) Pinajian was an Armenian American artist and comic book creator. [1] [2] He was active as a comic book creator from the late 1930s throughout the 1950s, during the Golden Age of Comic Books, and as an artist from the 1950s until his death in 1999. He was a member of the Eisner-Iger Studio in 1938-39 and of Funnies, Inc. in 1939-42. [1] Pinajian created the Quality Comics characters Madame Fatal [3] and the Invisible Hood, also known as Hooded Justice and Invisible Justice. [4]

Contents

Early life

Born in 1914, Pinajian grew up in an Armenian community in West Hoboken, New Jersey (now Union City, New Jersey), and was a self-trained cartoonist. [2] His parents survived the 1915 Armenian genocide and subsequently made their way to the United States. Pinajian's poetic color combinations are linked to the tonalities of his fellow Armenian, Arshile Gorky. [2]

Career and legacy

Pinajian worked on many 1930s Centaur Publications titles and features, including 'Captain Juan', 'Egbert the Great', and 'Tim Roberts'. He subsequently joined Funnies Inc. [1] Pinajian also drew 'Captain Terry Thunder' for Fiction House, 'Inspector Bancroft' for Fox Comics, 'The Wasp' for Lev Gleason Publications, and 'Jungle Terror' for Timely Comics. He was a regular at Quality Comics with 'Hooded Justice', 'Invisible Justice', 'Madam Fatal' and 'Reynolds of the Mounted'. In the 1950s he worked on Western stories for Atlas/Marvel. [1]

He served in the U.S. Army in World War II and received the Bronze Star Medal for valor. [5]

Pinajian also painted portraits, landscapes and some abstract works. He has been cited for his work in the field of abstract expressionism. Pinajian had instructed that the works be thrown away when he died. His wishes were ignored, and $30 million worth of his art was found in the garage of the Bellport, Long Island home where Pinajian lived from 1973 until his death in 1999. Two investors purchased the home in 2007 with the intent of renovating it, not knowing the art that was stored there. [6] A collection of Arthur Pinajian's work, discovered in 2007, generated interest in the art community. [7] A day school showed the paintings in March 2013. [8]

At the first gallery exhibit, one painting sold for $100,000, so far the highest price paid for one of Pinajian's paintings although works are usually listed for around $5,000. [9] Thomas Schultz, who helped save the collection, is the full-time registrar. American art historian Peter Hastings Falk is the exhibitions director and chief curator and values the collection at around 30 million dollars. [10] In 2019, an updated estimate put the value of the collection at $90 million. [11]

A 2015 book by Pinajian's cousin Pete Najarian, "The Paintings of Art Pinajian, A Family Story," alleges that Pinajian had verbally left his paintings to Najarian, but left no written will. The book seeks to prove that Pinajian never wanted his work “thrown into the garbage,” as was stated by Falk in his book, Pinajian, Master of Abstraction Discovered, [12] which states, "Pinajian left instructions for his collection to be discarded in the town dump."

Death

Pinajian died in 1999. [2] He is buried in Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, Suffolk County, New York. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Phantom</i> Comic strip

The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The character has been adapted for television, film and video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Frazetta</span> American illustrator and painter (1928–2010)

Frank Frazetta was an American artist known for themes of fantasy and science fiction, noted for comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers, and other media. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of fantasy art", and one of the most renowned illustrators of the 20th century. He was also the subject of a 2003 documentary Painting with Fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American comic book</span> Comic book originating in the US

An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of Action Comics, which included the debut of the superhero Superman. This was followed by a superhero boom that lasted until the end of World War II. After the war, while superheroes were marginalized, the comic book industry rapidly expanded and genres such as horror, crime, science fiction and romance became popular. The 1950s saw a gradual decline, due to a shift away from print media in the wake of television and the impact of the Comics Code Authority. The late 1950s and the 1960s saw a superhero revival and superheroes remained the dominant character archetype throughout the late 20th century into the 21st century.

Notable events of 1939 in comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Vess</span> American fantasy and comics artist

Charles Vess is an American fantasy artist and comics artist who has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His influences include British "Golden Age" book illustrator Arthur Rackham, Czech Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha, and comic-strip artist Hal Foster, among others. Vess has won several awards for his illustrations. Vess' studio, Green Man Press, is located in Abingdon, VA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calverton National Cemetery</span> Veterans cemetery in Suffolk County, New York

Calverton National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the Town of Riverhead in Suffolk County on eastern Long Island in New York. The cemetery's street address is in Calverton but the property is in the adjacent hamlet of Wading River. It encompasses 1,045 acres (423 ha) and as of the end of 2008 had 212,000 interments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sy Barry</span> American cartoonist (born 1928)

Seymour "Sy" Barry is an American comic-book and comic-strip artist, best known for being the artist of the strip The Phantom for more than three decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funnies Inc.</span> American comic book packager of the late 1930s-1940s

Funnies, Inc. was an American comic book packager of the late 1930s to 1940s period collectors and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by Lloyd Jacquet, it supplied the contents of early comics, including that of Marvel Comics #1, the first publication of what would become the multimedia corporation Marvel Comics.

Frank Huntington Stack is an American underground cartoonist and fine artist. Working under the name Foolbert Sturgeon to avoid persecution for his work while living in the Bible Belt, Stack published what is considered by many to be the first underground comic, The Adventures of Jesus, in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Jacquet</span> Founder of Funnies, Inc., one of the first comic book "packagers"

Lloyd Victor Jacquet was the founder of Funnies, Inc., one of the first and most prominent of a handful of comic book "packagers" established in the late 1930s that created comics on demand for publishers testing the waters of the emerging medium. Among its other achievements, Funnies, Inc. supplied the contents of Marvel Comics #1, the first publication of the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Characters created by Jacquet's company include the Sub-Mariner and the original Golden Age Human Torch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Gill</span> Comic book writer and artist

Joseph P. Gill was an American magazine writer and highly prolific comic book scripter. Most of his work was for Charlton Comics, where he co-created the superheroes Captain Atom, Peacemaker, and Judomaster, among others. Comics historians consider Gill a top contender as the comic-book field's most prolific writer. Per historian and columnist Mark Evanier, Gill "wrote a staggering number of comics. There are a half-dozen guys in his category. If someone came back and said he was the most prolific ever, no one would be surprised."

<i>Motion Picture Funnies Weekly</i> 1939 American comic book

Motion Picture Funnies Weekly is a 36-page American comic book created in 1939, and designed to be a promotional giveaway in movie theaters. While the idea proved unsuccessful, and only a handful of sample copies of issue #1 were printed, the periodical is historically important for introducing the enduring Marvel Comics character Namor the Sub-Mariner, created by writer-artist Bill Everett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Lynch</span> American cartoonist

Jay Patrick Lynch was an American cartoonist who played a key role in the underground comix movement with his Bijou Funnies and other titles. He is best known for his comic strip Nard n' Pat and the running gag Um tut sut. His work is sometimes signed Jayzey Lynch. Lynch was the main writer for Bazooka Joe comics from 1967 to 1990; he contributed to Mad, and in the 2000s expanded into the children's book field.

The Eastern Color Printing Company was a company that published comic books, beginning in 1933. At first, it was only newspaper comic strip reprints, but later on, original material was published. Eastern Color Printing was incorporated in 1928, and soon became successful by printing color newspaper sections for several New England and New York papers. Eastern is most notable for its production of Funnies on Parade and Famous Funnies, two publications that gave birth to the American comic book industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invisible Hood</span> Fictional supuerhero in DC Comics

The Invisible Hood is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was originally owned by Quality Comics, but was later acquired by DC Comics, along with other Quality characters. He first appeared in Smash Comics #1, and was created by Art Pinajian, who illustrated the story under the pseudonym "Art Gordon".

Lawrence Edward Welz is an American cartoonist who created Cherry Poptart. He was an early contributor to the underground comix movement in the San Francisco area during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He graduated from Bakersfield High School.

Abstract comics are comics that combine concepts of visual abstraction with the traditional continuity of the comic strip.

Peter Najarian is an American novelist, short story, and nonfiction writer. He is also a painter and sculptor, and a cousin of painter Art Pinajian.

Willy Murphy was an American underground cartoonist. Murphy's humor focused on hippies and the counterculture. His signature character was Arnold Peck the Human Wreck, "a mid-30s beanpole with wry observations about his own life and the community around him." Murphy's solo title was called Flamed-Out Funnies; in addition, he contributed to such seminal underground anthologies as Arcade, Bijou Funnies, and San Francisco Comic Book, as well as the National Lampoon.

Uncle Art's Funland is a long-running syndicated weekly puzzle and entertainment feature originated by Art Nugent (1891–1975). Featuring jokes, riddles, and paper-and-pencil word games, math challenges, nonograms, connect-the-dots art, crossword puzzles and anagrams, Funland has appeared in newspapers and comic books since 1933, and has been syndicated regularly since 1950.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Pinajian entry, Lambiek Comiclopedia. Accessed Nov. 14, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "'Lost & Found: Pinajian Discovery' debuts in NYC Feb. 13"". Auction Central News. January 8, 2013. Archived from the original on January 10, 2013.
  3. ↑ 'The World's First Cross-Dressing Superhero'. Accessed Jan. 17, 2013
  4. ↑ Invisible Hood entry, International Hero website. Accessed Nov. 15, 2011.
  5. ↑ Barron, James (March 8, 2013). "Paintings From Garage Find Appreciation in Gallery". The New York Times . Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  6. ↑ Allen, Nick (March 7, 2013). "$30m of Arthur Pinajian art found in Long Island garage". The Daily Telegraph . ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  7. ↑ Kilgannon, Corey (March 14, 2007). "Closing on a House, and a Life's Story, Told in Art". The New York Times.
  8. ↑ "Exhibition: Rare Works by Arthur Pinajian on Display April 12 to 14 in New York". The Armenian Weekly. February 11, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Arthur Pinajian - 4 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  10. ↑ "Armenian-American Artist Wins Posthumous Fame". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. (April 8, 2013).
  11. ↑ Kaplan, Michael (October 5, 2019). "Meet the lucky bargain-hunters who've found treasure among trash". New York Post . Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Pinajian, Master of Abstraction Discovered". Archived from the original on 2015-07-14.
  13. ↑ Fisher, Joy (June 15, 2006 ). "Calverton National Cemetery (Piazzese-Pinon); Calverton, Suffolk co., NY". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. National Cemetery, Administration database.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.