Masterpieces of Fantasy Art. 45th Ed.

<p><strong>Fantasy art</strong>, that colorful blend of myth, muscle and sexy maidens, took off in 1923 with the launch of <em>Weird Tales</em> magazine, was reinvigorated in the 1960s with <em>The Lord of the Rings</em>, <em>Conan the Barbarian</em> paperbacks with <strong>Frank Frazetta </strong>covers, and the late ’60s emergence of fantasy psychedelia. It went big in the ’70s with the role-playing game <em>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</em>, the brilliant French magazine <em>Métal Hurlant</em>, and the first <em>Star Wars</em> film. The number of active artists peaked in that decade, but a new generation of fans discovered the genre through fantasy trading card games in the ’90s, leading to a massive interest in the art form today.<br /><br />Frank Frazetta’s oil paintings—when they infrequently come to market—have sold for more than $ 5 million in recent years. Fans line up at Comic-Cons to meet <strong>Boris Vallejo</strong>, <strong>Rodney Matthews</strong>, <strong>Greg Hildebrandt</strong>, <strong>Michael Whelan</strong>, and <strong>Philippe Druillet</strong>, and memorialize dead icons <strong>HR Giger</strong>,<strong> Jeffrey Catherine Jones</strong>, and <strong>Frazetta</strong>.&#xa0;<br /><br />This book features <strong>original paintings</strong>, contextualized by <strong>preparatory sketches</strong>, <strong>sculptures</strong>, <strong>calendars</strong>, <strong>magazines</strong>, and <strong>paperback books</strong>, for an immersive dive into this dynamic, fanciful genre. Insightful bios go beyond Wikipedia to give a more accurate and eye-opening look into the life of each artist. This collection will reign as the<strong> most exquisite and informative guide to this popular subject for years to come.</strong></p>