Victor Reinganum (1907–1995) was a British artist and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

, probably best known for his illustrations on book

dustjacket The dust jacket (sometimes book jacket, dust wrapper or dust cover) of a book is the detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations. This outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book ...

s, including the first editions of

Muriel Spark Dame Muriel Sarah Spark (née Camberg; 1 February 1918 – 13 April 2006). was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist. Life Muriel Camberg was born in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, the daughter of Bernard Camberg, an ...

's ''

The Ballad of Peckham Rye ''The Ballad of Peckham Rye'' is a novel written in 1960 by the British author Muriel Spark. It tells the story of a devilish Scottish migrant, Dougal Douglas, who moves to Peckham in London and wreaks havoc amongst the lives of the inhabitants ...

'' (1960) and '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' (1961). Reinganum was born in London, England, on 13 September 1907 and died on 24 January 1995, aged 87. During 1925–1928, Reinganum studied at

Heatherley School of Fine Art The Heatherley School of Fine Art is an independent art school in London. The school was named after Thomas Heatherley who took over as the school's principal from James Mathews Leigh (when it was named "Leigh's"). Founded in 1845, the school ...

and the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, also taking private lessons with Léger. In 1928, he joined

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

and was an art director there until 1929 when he became a freelance illustrator. He was a prolific contributor to the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'', including the cover of at least one Christmas issue. In 1960 he designed the first ''Radio Times'' cover to mark the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

. The book ''Surrealism in England – 1936 and After'' (1986) says of him:

References

External links

''Diagram''
(1939) in the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

, UK
''The Three Graces''
(1968) in the

Paisnel Gallery The Nine British Art is a private art gallery in St James's, central London, England. The gallery specializes in British art, with a focus on works from the St Ives group and the post-war period. Overview The gallery covers 20th and 21st centur ...

, London
Victor Reinganum
at artprice.com

at classiccrimefiction.com
Christmas 1941 issue of ''Radio Times'', page 2
with illustration by Reinganum 1907 births 1995 deaths Artists from London English illustrators British surrealist artists Alumni of the Heatherley School of Fine Art Académie Julian alumni {{illustrator-stub