SAMSON POLLEN
Master Cover Artists No. 6
SAMSON POLLEN
Samson Pollen nasce il 19 marzo 1931 a New York da Sam e Shirley Pollen, immigrati Russi. La famiglia risiede nel Bronx e include la sorella maggiore Norma, nata nel 1926.
Pollen inizia a lavorare come copertinista di paperbacks nel 1951. Dipinge copertine per editori quali Graphic, Lion Library, World Edition/Galaxy e Zenith fino al 1958.
A partire dal 1955, Pollen ha iniziato a creare titillanti illustrazioni per le riviste per soli uomini. Realizza centinaia di tavole a colori o a mezzatinta, più qualche copertina, soprattutto per le riviste pubblicate dal gruppo Atlas/Diamond con diverse denominazioni. L'editore Martin Goodman lo assume insieme con altri talenti quali James Bama, Al Rossi, Earl Norem, Bob Stanley, Rudy Nappi, Bruce Minney, Gil Cohen, Julian Paul, Walter Popp, Rafael DeSoto, Ray Johnson, Vic Prezio, John Leone, Tom Ryan, Robert Schulz, George Gross, Norm Saunders, Paul Rader e Charles Copeland. Tra I titoli cui collabora ci sono Action for Man, Complete Man, For Men Only, Man's World, Stag eTrue Action, come pure I tascabili Bachelor e Swank. Esegue illustrazioni anche per Adventure, Male, Man's True Action e True Adventures.
Quando il mercato delle riviste illustrate per uomini declina alla metà degli anni Settanta, Pollen si dedica completamente alla pittura.
Samson Pollen was born March 19, 1931 in New York to Sam and Shirley Pollen, both Russian immigrants. The family lived in the Bronx and also included elder sister Norma, born in 1926.
Pollen started working as a paperback cover artist in 1951. He painted covers for such publishers as Graphic, Lion Library, World Edition/Galaxy, and Zenith until 1958.
By 1955, Pollen had started creating alluring pictures for men's magazines. He did hundreds of mezzotint or color pages and the occasional cover, mainly for magazines published by the Atlas/Diamond group under different imprints. Publisher Martin Goodman hired him along other such talents as James Bama, Al Rossi, Earl Norem, Bob Stanley, Rudy Nappi, Bruce Minney, Gil Cohen, Julian Paul, Walter Popp, Rafael DeSoto, Ray Johnson, Vic Prezio, John Leone, Tom Ryan, Robert Schulz, George Gross, Norm Saunders, Paul Rader, and Charles Copeland. Titles he worked on included Action for Man, Complete Man, For Men Only, Man's World, Stag, and True Action, as well as the digest-sized Bachelor and Swank. He also did illustrations for Adventure, Male, Man's True Action, and True Adventures.
As the men's magazine market declined in the mid-1970s, Pollen devoted himself completely to painting.
BIBLIOGRAFIA / BIBLIOGRAPHY
A) PAPERBACK COVER ART
Editore/Publisher: GRAPHIC
Call Me Duke #G-215 (1956).
Editore/Publisher: LION LIBRARY
Alley Kids #LL116 (1956).
Don't You Weep. Don't You Moan #LL28 (1955).
Night Train #LL40 (1955).
The Oracle #LL102 (1956).
Ruby #LL104 (1956).
The Sins of Joy Munson #LL60 (1955).
Editore/Publisher: WORLD EDITION/GALAXY
Galaxy Science Fiction Novel
Four Sided Triangle #9 (1952).
Editore/Publisher: ZENITH
All Over Town #ZB2 (1958).
The Girl From Hateville #ZB7 (1958).
B) MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATIONS
NOTE: Gli elenchi sono incompleti. Vengono elencate soltanto le riviste che sappiamo contenere illustrazioni di Pollen. / Lists are incomplete. We are only listing magazines we have found to have inside Pollen art.
Editore/Publisher: ATLAS/DIAMOND
Complete Man - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 1965-67.
Editore/Publisher: CANAM/NEWSSTAND/MAGAZINE MANAGEMENT
For Men Only - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 10/1955; 05/1956; 10/1957; 01/1958; 04/1958; 05/1959; 10/1962; 09/1964; 07/1966; 04/1967; 04/1968 (R Stag 8/1966); 09/1968; 01/1969; 02/1970; 12/1970; 01/1971; 08/1971; 03/1972; 08/1974.
Editore/Publisher: Gresham Publishing Group [UK]
World of Horror - Illustrazioni/Illustrations #3 (1974).
Editore/Publisher: MAGNUM-ROYAL PUBLICATIONS
Bachelor - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 09/1958.
Swank - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 03/1958.
Editore/Publisher: MALE
Male - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 04/1956; 05/1956; 11/1956; 12/1956; 09/1957; 10/1957; 01/1958; 11/1958; 02/1960; 04/1960; 11/1960; 12/1960; 10/1962; 11/1962; 03/1963; 05/1963; 07/1963; 12/1963; 03/1965; 06/1972.
Sportsman - Illustrazioni/Illustrations c.1956-68.
Editore/Publisher: MEDALION/OFFICIAL MAGAZINE/OLYMPIA/VISTA/MAGAZINE
MANAGEMENT
Man's World - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 08/1958; 12/1973 (R Men 12/1972).
Editore/Publisher: NEW PUBLICATIONS
True Adventures - Illustrazioni/Illustrations c.1956-70.
Editore/Publisher: OFFICIAL MAGAZINE/ATLAS
Stag - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 01/1956; 10/1956; 02/1957; 06/1957; 08/1958; 10/1959; 01/1960; 03/1960; 07/1960; 10/1960; 11/1960; 01/1961; 10/1961; 01/1963; 10/1963; 05/1964; 06/1965; 12/1965; 06/1966; 08/1966; 10/1966; 03/1967; 06/1967; 10/1971; 07/1973.
Editore/Publisher: OFFICIAL MAGAZINE/MAGAZINE MANAGEMENT
True Action - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 01/1966; 01/1968 (R For Men Only); 02/1972.
Editore/Publisher: POPULAR/NEW PUBLICATIONS
Adventure - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 04/1959; 08/1959.
Editore/Publisher: STAR EDITIONS
Man's True Action - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 1955-56.
Editore/Publisher: VISTA
Action for Men - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 03/1965; 09/1966; 01/1968; 09/1972.
Editore/Publisher: ZENITH/PERFECT FILM
Men - Illustrazioni/Illustrations 05/1967; 05/1968; 04/1971; 12/1972; 03/1973.
