Gil Cohen (born July 28, 1931 in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
) is an American artist, noted for his illustrations of aircraft and people in military service, who also illustrated men's magazines, books and movie posters.
Biography
Gilbert B. Cohen was born to Philip and Hannah (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Borofsky) Cohen on July 28, 1931 and raised in Philadelphia where his Russian-immigrant grandparents and father operated a hardware store. He trained as an illustrator at the
Philadelphia Museum School of Art The Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art (PMSIA), also referred to as the School of Applied Art, was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on February 26, 1876, as both a museum and teaching institution. This was in response to t ...
, where he studied under artists Karl Sherman,
Henry C. Pitz, Albert Gold,
Joe Krush
Joe Krush (May 18, 1918 – March 8, 2022) and Beth Krush (March 31, 1918 – February 2, 2009) were an American husband-and-wife team of illustrators who worked primarily on children's books. They may be known best for the U.S. editions of all fiv ...
and
S. Gertrude Schell, and then graduated in 1953. Soon thereafter, he was drafted into the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
and assigned to a
military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...
unit in Germany where he rendered images of
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
weaponry, based on verbal espionage reports. Upon his release from the Army, he resumed his chosen career in
commercial art
Commercial art is the art of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art uses a variety of platforms (magazines, websites, apps, television, etc.) for viewers with the intent of promo ...
and
illustration
An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...
.
As of 2017, Cohen maintained a studio at his home in
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown is a borough and the county seat of Bucks County in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Trenton,
north of Center City, Philadelphia,
southeast of Allentown, and southwest of New York City.
As of the 2020 cen ...
.
Career
Cohen's artistic career spanned more than six decades of producing images for
men's magazines
This is a list of magazines primarily marketed to men. The list has been split into subcategories according to the target audience of the magazines. This list includes mostly mainstream magazines as well as adult ones. Not included here are auto ...
,
movie posters
A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. The ...
, books, government agencies, and later producing carefully researched
fine-art oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...
s of
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...
and war-related subjects.
He also assumed both teaching and administrative duties in his field of illustration. He is an Artist Fellow of the American Society of Aviation Artists.
Aviation art
Cohen’s interest in aviation began as a youth during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, when he became proficient in identifying a wide variety of aircraft of the time. This interest was renewed, when he became interested in producing World War II aviation art, which included a series of paintings depicting the activities of the
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
—examples of which were exhibited in a one-man show at the
National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force
The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force is a non-profit organization with a museum facility located in Pooler, Georgia, in the western suburbs of Savannah. It educates visitors through the use of exhibits, artifacts, archival materials ...
in
Pooler, Georgia
Pooler is a city in Chatham County, Georgia, United States. According to the official 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 25,711, up 34.3% from the 2010 population of 19,140. Pooler is located northwest of Savannah along Interstates 95 and 1 ...
for six months, starting December 1988.
In 1997, he began publishing
limited-edition prints of his aviation art,
which were distributed through art-print vendors in the U.S. and Great Britain.
A retrospective of Cohen's aviation art was published in 2009.
A reviewer of Cohen's body of work noted that it both presented faithful depictions of aircraft and, more significantly, focused on the people involved and the emotional energy that they brought to their activities.
He traveled under the auspices of the
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
to
theaters of conflict in
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
,
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
, and
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
and also to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
to create paintings that he donated to the
U.S. Air Force Art Program.
Illustration art
![Cover art by Gil Cohen for MAN’S WORLD January 1961 “The Great Balloon Race to the North Pole”](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Cover_art_by_Gil_Cohen_for_MAN%E2%80%99S_WORLD_January_1961_%E2%80%9CThe_Great_Balloon_Race_to_the_North_Pole%E2%80%9D.jpg)
During the 1950s and 60s, Cohen worked as a free-lance illustrator for men's adventure magazines—a common genre of the time. One such publisher was
Magazine Management Company
Magazine Management Co., Inc. was an American publishing company lasting from at least 1947 to the early 1970s, known for men's-adventure magazines, risque men's magazines, humor magazine, humor, Romance novel, romance, puzzle, celebrity/film and ...
—with magazines that included ''Male'', ''
Stag'', and ''For Men Only''—whose assignments required complex illustrations, executed on a short deadline, often involving
duotone
Duotone (sometimes also known as ''Duplex'') is a halftone reproduction of an image using the superimposition of one contrasting color halftone over another color halftone. This is most often used to bring out middle tones and highlights of an ...
technique (using black plus one other color on the printed page).
A 1961 assignment for ''
Argosy'' magazine to illustrate a serialized version of
Ian Fleming's James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
novel, ''
Thunderball'', led to later assignments from another publisher to illustrate book covers for the
Mack Bolan
Mack Bolan, alias '' The Executioner'', is a fictional character who has been serialized in 631 novels with sales of more than 200 million books. Created by Don Pendleton, Bolan made his first appearance on the printed page in ''The Execution ...
series of ''
The Executioner'' novels by
Don Pendleton
Donald Eugene Pendleton (December 12, 1927 – October 23, 1995) was an American author of fiction and non-fiction books, best known for his creation of the fictional character Mack Bolan, which have sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide ...
.
His illustration work expanded to more mainstream clientele that included the
U.S. Information Agency
The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to " public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill ...
, the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
,
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
,
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. ...
,
Harlequin Books
Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally b ...
,
Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
,
Holt Rinehart & Winston,
Warner-Lambert, the
U.S. Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...
, the
National Guard Bureau, and the
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
and
Sikorsky Aircraft
Sikorsky Aircraft is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Stratford, Connecticut. It was established by aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky in 1923 and was among the first companies to manufacture helicopters for civilian and military use.
Pre ...
companies.
Teaching
In 1966, Cohen received an invitation to teach at his
alma mater; this led to a part-time position as an instructor and to increasing academic responsibilities. He taught figure drawing, anatomy and illustration over the course of 21 years.
Other activities
Cohen has assumed administrative duties in the art world, as well. As part of the board of directors for the New York–based
Society of Illustrators
The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition.
History
Founding
The Society of Illustrators was founded on ...
, he chaired its U.S. Air Force Art Program—providing travel opportunities for artists to depict the mission of the U.S. Air Force at bases around the world.
In his work with the American Society of Aviation Artists (ASAA), he served variously as vice-president and exhibition committee chair; he received the ASAA Service Award for his work with the society.
Recognition
Cohen's work was exhibited in venues that included:
* Society of Illustrators
* The National Parks Civil War battlefield sites of
Appomattox Court House,
Gettysburg,
Mannasas,
Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to:
Entertainment
* "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce
* "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe
* "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne''
* ''Chic ...
, and
Petersburg
*
Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial
*
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC) is an arts center located just north of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. Located on the same city block are the American Numismatic Association and part of the campus of Colorado ...
*
Royal Air Force Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum is a museum dedicated to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. The museum is a non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Defence and is a registered charity.
The museum is split into two separate sites:
* ...
*
National Museum of the United States Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...
* National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force
*
Imperial War Museum Duxford
Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artill ...
Flying Legends Air Show
*Bucks County Illustrators Society
*U.S. Coast Guard Art Program
He received recognition for his work that included:
* American Society of Aviation Artists: "Best of Show" (twice),
“Award of Distinction” (four times)
* British Guild of Aviation Artists: “Best of Show” by an American artist
* ''
Aviation Week & Space Technology
''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', often abbreviated ''Aviation Week'' or ''AW&ST'', is the flagship magazine of the Aviation Week Network. The weekly magazine is available in print and online, reporting on the aerospace, defense and aviati ...
'' magazine: “Best of the Best”, "Honorable Mention"
*Central Bucks County Chamber of Commerce: "Lifetime Achievement—Bucks County Arts" and "Lifetime Achievement Award in Art"
Gallery of illustration art
File:Gil Cohen Duotone for Stag January 1960.png, Duotone image of a burning Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...
for ''Stag'' magazine, January 1960
File:Man's World cover art by Gil Cohen August 1961.jpg, Cover art for ''Man's World'', August 1961, depicting a de Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...
raid
File:Movie Poster art by Gil Cohen for movie-She-1965.png, Movie poster for the 1965 movie, ''She
She most commonly refers to:
*She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English.
She or S.H.E. may also refer to:
Literature and films
*'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...
'', with painting by Cohen of a crowd scene on left side
See also
Men's magazine artists
*
James Bama
James Elliott Bama (April 28, 1926 – April 24, 2022) was an American artist known for his realistic paintings and etchings of Western subjects. Life in Wyoming led to his comment, "Here an artist can trace the beginnings of Western history, see ...
*
Basil Gogos
Basil Gogos (March 12, 1929 – September 13, 2017) was an American illustrator best known for his portraits of movie monsters which appeared on the covers of ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' magazine in the 1960s and 1970s.
Early life
Basil G ...
*
Bruce Minney
Bruce Minney (October 2, 1928 — August 5, 2013) was an 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 ...
Aviation artists
*
Rudolph Belarski
Rudolph Belarski (May 27, 1900 – December 24, 1983) was an American graphic artist known for his cover art depicting aerial combat for magazines such as ''Wings'', '' Dare Devil Aces'', and ''War Birds''. He also drew science fiction covers for ...
*
Keith Ferris
*
Craig Slaff
Notes
References
External links
American Society of Aviation Artists profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Gil
1931 births
Living people
Aviation artists
American magazine illustrators
Artists from Philadelphia
People from Doylestown, Pennsylvania
University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni