Bruce Minney

Bruce Minney (October 2, 1928 - August 5, 2013 ) was a prolific American artist who worked in a variety of media. He was a commercial illustrator for over 40 years producing paintings for men’s adventure magazines, paperbacks, and storyboards. Later he moved to ceramics and won numerous awards for his efforts. His most recent work included collages and paintings.

Biography

Early Life and Career

As a child, Minney loved to draw and after graduating from Oakland High in 1946, he was accepted by the California School of Arts and Crafts.

After graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Doris Schulz, and worked as a fireman in Orinda, CA as he tried to launch his art career.

In 1955, he packed his wife, his 4-year old daughter Carole, and all their belongings into a 1950 Plymouth and drove cross country to New York. Doris got a job in advertising with Doyle, Dane, Bernbach, while Bruce stayed home with his daughter and created samples. Eventually, he hooked up with Eddie Balcourt, a well-known artist's representative, and began his career as a professional illustrator.[1]

Minney did many credited and uncredited illustrations for Stag, For Men Only, Male, True Action, Man’s World and many others published by Magazine Management.[2]

Illustration by Bruce Minney for Man's World, April 1967

He also did all the interior illustrations for the short-lived Space Science Fiction Magazine magazine.

As the 60s wore on and US involvement in Vietnam increased and magazines like Penthouse became more explicit, circulations for the men’s adventure magazines dropped and jobs were harder to come by. One of the last men’s adventure magazine illustration Bruce did was for National Lampoon in November 1970. This illustration is a brutal, acerbic parody in the men’s adventure style set in Vietnam.[3]

Minney was the featured artist in Illustration magazine #40.[4] His work was also featured in the August 5, 2013 episode of the History Channel series American Pickers.

Paperbacks

From 1969 - 1986, Minney created over 400 paperback illustrations in oils and acrylic for Grosset & Dunlap, Avon, Fawcett, Harlequin, Ace, Pinnacle, Manor Books, and Pyramid. Among the titles he illustrated were: The Lone Ranger series[5] Horatio Hornblower series,[6] and Windhaven [7] series.

Ceramics

In the 90s and into the 2000s, Minney worked in ceramics and exhibited his works at many arts and crafts shows in California and Florida winning numerous awards.

References

  1. ↑ Lovisi, Gary. "Ed Balcourt: Artist and Artist Representative", Illustration #32, Winter 2010
  2. ↑ Parfrey, Adam. It's A Man's World: Men's Adventure Magazines, the Postwar Pulps (ISBN 0-922915-81-4)
  3. ↑ pg. 253, Heritage Fine Art Auction Catalog, May 3–4, 2006, Heritage Auction Galleries (ISBN 1-59967-042-9)
  4. ↑ Ziegler, Thomas. "The Sensational Art of Bruce Minney", Illustration #40, Spring 2013
  5. ↑ Striker, Fran. The Lone Ranger #5,Pinnacle Books (ISBN 0-523-40489-1)
  6. ↑ Forester, C.S. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, Pinnacle Books (ISBN 0-523-40731-9)
  7. ↑ De Jourlet, Marie. Return To Windhaven, Pinnacle Books (ISBN 978-0523400228)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bruce Minney.