THE LEGENDARY ILLUSTRATOR LEFT HIS MARK ON EVERYTHING FROM MAGAZINES AND PULP PAPERBACK COVERS TO MOVIE POSTERS FOR BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S AND THUNDERBALL
By Sarahjane Blum
Painting is addictive. There is never enough time, never enough satisfaction … Nevertheless, painting is a good friend and I’m fortunate to be blissfully under its spell.”
—Robert McGinnis, 1926-2025
The Heritage community was saddened to learn of the passing of one of America’s greatest illustrators, Robert McGinnis, who died in March at 99. A legendary artist, known for his work depicting women at their most glamorous and powerful for film campaigns and paperbacks, his talent put the world on notice from his first published movie poster, the timeless image of Audrey Hepburn as the mischievous and irresistible Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. He would go on to set the tone for James Bond films through the mid-1970s and bring his vixens and femme fatales to the covers of pulp fiction hard-boiled paperbacks that were frequently imitated but never matched.
Every occasion we have had to offer an original work of art by McGinnis has proved a reminder of his technical brilliance and uncanny eye for the perfect scene-setting detail. The illustration world mourns the loss of this icon, though his legacy will continue to burn bright.
See below for a few of our favorite McGinnis images that have crossed the block at Heritage.
Thunderball was McGinnis’ first foray into the world of James Bond, and he would go on to illustrate posters for the next several films – before revisiting Bond in later years, as his art became inextricably linked in people’s minds with the best of 007. This original illustration for the 1965 Thunderball poster realized $275,000 in an October 2022 Heritage auction, setting an auction record for the artist.
This 2002 update of the psychedelic poster art McGinnis created for the 1967 Bond spoof Casino Royale gives a full update to the painted lady. The illustration, which sold for $47,500 in an October 2017 Heritage auction, was used as the DVD art for the collector’s edition re-release.
McGinnis was the go-to artist for detective fiction throughout his career, using his talents to make the exploits of characters like Carter Brown, Perry Mason, Travis McGee and Mike Shayne impossible to resist. This illustration, which realized $25,000 in an April 2024 Heritage auction, graced the cover of Mermaid on the Rocks, a 1967 Mike Shayne mystery by Brett Halliday.
McGinnis continued to contribute his talents throughout his life, delivering spectacular artwork for contemporary pulp fiction publisher Hard Case Crime, such as 2020’s Gun Honey, which realized $9,375 in an October 2022 Heritage auction.
In McGinnis’ words, “There’s nothing more interesting than painting women; it’s the greatest subject that can be.” Here, the artist depicts a barely covered brunette gazing directly at the viewer. Titled Rose Garland, the mixed media piece was reproduced in 2014’s The Art of Robert E. McGinnis by McGinnis and Art Scott, as well as in Tapestry: The Paintings of Robert E. McGinnis from 2000. The work realized $20,000 in an October 2020 Heritage auction.
SARAHJANE BLUM is Director of Illustration Art at Heritage Auctions. She can be reached at SarahjaneB@HA.com or 214.409.1549.