Sirens: The Pin-Up Art of David Wright

What comes to mind, when you think pin-up art from of the 1940s-1960s? Maybe model Bettie Page might pop in your head or paintings like the “Vargas Girls” by artist Alberto Vargas. How about David Wright? And NO, he’s not the Third Baseman from New York Mets baseball team! In the 20^th Century, British artist Dave Wright was also right-up there with his American peers like Alberto Vargas and Gil Elvgren. World War II sparked the pin-up girl craze as David Wright created his “Lovelies.” Dave Wright’s pin-up girls was all over Britain, “a standard fixture on the walls of barrack rooms, officers’ messes, pubs and clubs” (Terry Parker, Sirens: The Pin-Up Art of David Wright).

Born in suburban South London, David Wright grew up around artists and was surrounded by an artistic family. Both his parents were artists, his aunt and uncles were also popular artists during their time and he soon found himself working in the family business – the Wright Studios. This is where the young teenager would meet his model and future wife Esmé Little for many of his pin-up “Lovelies.”

Titan Books and Terry Parker have put together an incredible art gallery of works by David Wright, which includes his pin-up series of drawings for The Sketch magazine, a collection of his pin-up art on American soil, a collection of Wright’s later advertising pin-ups and book covers too. The book also includes a foreword by Wright’s son Patrick Wright and an in-depth bio on his life and impact on the art world.

Sirens: The Pin-Up Art of David Wright is beautifully packaged art book. The pin-up girl collection and many of Wright’s later ad works and book covers are nicely reprinted. This book celebrates Wrights’ pin-up girl “Lovelies” of a bygone era. Unlike his contemporaries of the time, Wright’s pin-up girls may have a tad of sexiness and underlining eroticism, but if you look at the artwork for a few minutes there is a hint of escapism, innocence, and beauty.