Mort Künstler obit

Mort Künstler, hailed as America's most prominent historical artist, dies at 97

 

He was not on the list.

Few artists typified the look of pulp art better than Künstler, whose hyper-energetic, often sexually-charged scenes of intense action were mainstays on thousands of magazine covers over decades. Coupled with his paintings depicting American history, most notably the Civil War, this body of work made him one of the most widely seen artists in America.

Künstler was born in Brooklyn and studied art at Brooklyn College and the Pratt Institute. He worked as a freelance artist in the 1950s, largely finding work in the world of pulp adventure magazines. His high-energy scenes of brawny men and scantily-clad women fighting off hordes of adversaries were a perfect match for the era.

He also depicted scenes of outdoor life, and more notably, moments from American history. This led to his first commissioned work of historical art in 1965, a painting for National Geographic. Though much of his work in ‘70s was focused on advertising and posters, often for action movies like “The Poseidon Adventure,” his works focused on history began to draw more attention.

In 1982, CBS commissioned him to do a painting for its Civil War mini-series, “The Blue and the Gray.” Before the decade was out, Künstler’s work would be almost entirely focused on the Civil War. He became perhaps the most notable artist of the topic in the country, with his work including meticulous research into details about uniforms, gear, and more. Künstler’s work has been collected in an array of art books, including “Images of the Civil War: The Paintings of Mort Künstler,” “Gods and Generals: The Paintings of Mort Künstler,” and “For Us the Living: The Civil War in Paintings and Eyewitness Accounts.”

Exhibitions of his paintings have been featured in countless museums, and his work has been embraced by organizations such as the New York Historical Society, Richmond’s Museum of the Confederacy, and others. Awards he received included the Jefferson Davis Southern Heritage Award and the Henry Timrod Southern Culture Award.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Mort Künstler showed exceptional artistic talent from an early age, quickly gaining recognition for his ability to capture scenes with vivid detail. He studied at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Students League of New York, where he honed his craft and developed a distinctive style that would define his career.

In the 1950s through the 1970s, Künstler became a celebrated name in the world of pulp fiction and popular culture. His illustrations graced the covers of men’s adventure magazines, including iconic works like Doc Savage: Brand of the Werewolf and The Omega Man. Künstler’s contributions extended to movie posters, including those for The Poseidon Adventure and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and the box covers of popular Aurora model kits. His work quickly became a staple in the world of entertainment art.

While Künstler’s work in popular art cemented his place in history, it was his dedication to historical military art that truly defined his legacy. Renowned for his precision and dramatic depictions of historical battles, particularly those of the Civil War and World War II, Künstler became one of the foremost historical military artists of his time. His ability to capture the intensity and drama of pivotal moments in history made him a highly regarded figure in the art world.

In 2020, Mort Künstler’s career was honored with the publication of Mort Künstler: The Godfather of Pulp Fiction Illustrators, a book by Robert Deis and Wyatt Doyle, which shed light on his influential contributions to the pulp fiction genre and art as a whole. His work continues to be celebrated by art enthusiasts, collectors, historians, and fans of military history.

 

Art Department

World War II: The War Chronicles (1983)

World War II: The War Chronicles

7.9

TV Series

combat paintingsoriginal paintingsoriginal art

1983

9 episodes

 

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure

4.7

poster artist (uncredited)

1979

 

Go Tell the Spartans (1978)

Go Tell the Spartans

6.6

poster artist

1978

 

Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, George C. Scott, William Atherton, Burgess Meredith, Jean Rasey, Roy Thinnes, and Gig Young in The Hindenburg (1975)

The Hindenburg

6.3

poster artist

1975

 

Charles Bronson in Breakheart Pass (1975)

Breakheart Pass

6.7

poster artist (uncredited)

1975

 

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

7.6

poster artist (uncredited)

1974

 

Three the Hard Way (1974)

Three the Hard Way

6.2

poster artist

1974

 

John Phillip Law and Caroline Munro in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

6.8

poster artist (uncredited)

1973

 

Ernest Borgnine, Gene Hackman, Leslie Nielsen, Red Buttons, Roddy McDowall, Stella Stevens, Shelley Winters, Jack Albertson, Carol Lynley, Pamela Sue Martin, Arthur O'Connell, and Eric Shea in The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

The Poseidon Adventure

7.1

poster artist (uncredited)

1972

 

Additional Crew

American Valor (2003)

American Valor

4.3

TV Movie

original artwork provider

2003

 

The Making of 'Gettysburg'

6.9

Video

paintings: Turner Publishing's "Gettysburg"

1993