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ALLEN SAALBURG.
Barn with Torn Posters. Cover illustration for
Fortune
magazine, published July 1940, also
reproduced on page 81 of “Fortune:The Art of Covering Business” (Salt Lake City: Gibbs-
Smith, 1999.) Oil on canvas. 483x381 mm; 19x15 inches. Signed “A. Saalburg” in lower
image. Craquelure with no losses. Framed. Accompanied by two preliminary studies;
gouache on paper, approximately 9x7 inches; not signed.
[2,000/3,000]
In conversation with Prudence Crowther, Saalburg described his collaboration with the Art Directors
at Fortune, stating:“They just wanted something rural . . . what I was interested in at the time was
a trompe l’oeil and as far as I know I was the first person to catch on to trompe l’oeil for commercial
purposes.” (Fortune’s America: The Visual Achievements of Fortune Magazine, 1930-1965 by
Chris Mullen and Philip Beard. University of East Anglia Library, 1985.)
Provenance: From the artist’s estate.