Well, this is perfect timing. Hot on the heels of my Comics for Sinners review of the just-released Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition, Vol. 2, comes new that the legendary Mr. Thorne will be the subject of an upcoming gallery showing and art auction here in NYC. To quote the press release:
From March 9 to March 30, 2015, in New York City, Illustration House presents “Through the Eyes of a Wizard”: Frank Thorne’s first-ever exhibition and sale, with over 70 original works, from Red Sonja to his contemporary paintings, curated by Zaddick Longenbach.
Frank Thorne started his comic career in 1948 at the age of 18, paying his dues on romance stories and titles from Tom Corbett to Twilight Zone, until Robert E. Howard’s heroine Red Sonja came under his pen in ’75, and he never looked back. Frank came into his own with the sexy, feisty barbarian, making Sonja one of Marvel’s top-selling titles, as well as getting one of the first conventions devoted to a single character: Sonja Con, in 1976.
Frank left Sonja at its peak in ‘78 to create his own erotic epic Ghita of Alizarr, one of the first graphic novels in the history of comics. This led to other original characters, including “Danger Rangerette” for National Lampoon, “Lann” for Heavy Metal, Ribit!, and “Moonshine McJugs” for Playboy, where his work appeared for 20 years. At the age of 84, Frank is still in his studio working on large-scale paintings.
“Through the Eyes of a Wizard” debuts on Saturday, March 7, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. In attendance will be Frank Thorne and current Red Sonja model Bre Shanklin. The exhibition then opens to the public on March 9, and runs through March 30.
Illustration House is located at 34 West 27th Street, 4th Floor, New York City. All works will be viewable online prior to the opening, at the Illustration House website.
Exhibit hours: Monday to Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., weekends by appointment.
Considering Thorne is one of my all-time-favorite artists, you can bet I’ll be dropping by Illustration House to take a look at his incredible work!
