He drew very racy, seductive girls, which were admired by millions of Americans. His covers adorned dozens of magazines, and his poster for “The Maltese Falcon” is still remembered today. Peter Driben was a pin-up master who worked tirelessly and left behind thousands of works. In this article we will learn how the artist from Boston became a symbol of glamor and dreams - and why his name was undeservedly overshadowed by his more high-profile colleagues.
Peter Driben, born October 22, 1903 in Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the most active and productive pin-up artists in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s. Although such renowned masters of the genre as Alberto Vargas and Gil Elvgren also left behind an impressive legacy, it is Driben who holds the record for the number of works he created. His colorful and flirtatious girls graced magazine covers from World War II through the baby boom era in America in the 1950s.
The future artist was educated at the Vesper George art school. Around 1925 he moved to Paris, where he became a student at the Sorbonne. At the same time, he began to draw ink and pen images of cabaret dancers, and it is not surprising that these drawings immediately gained popularity. He made his pin-up debut in March 1934, when his illustration graced the cover of La Paree Stories magazine.
By 1935, Driben's work was already appearing on the covers of magazines such as Snappy, Pep, New York Nights, French Night Life, and Caprice. In the late 1930s, he became a regular illustrator for other popular publications such as Silk Stocking Stories, Gay Book, Movie Merry-Go-Round, Real Screen Fun, and others. Moving to New York in 1936, he began a career in advertising: he created creative three-dimensional window displays for many brands. For example: Philco radios, Cannon bath towels or Weber bakery.
One of his most famous works is the original poster for the movie The Maltese Falcon, the cult noir starring Humphrey Bogart. He was also friends with publisher Robert Harrison, and from 1941 became the chief cover artist for his new project, Beauty Parade magazine. Driben was in great demand at the time, and he designed hundreds of covers for Harrison's other magazines, Flirt, Whisper, Titter, Wink, Eyeful, Giggles and Joker. His tenacity and efficiency was impressive, and he could produce six to seven full-length works a month.
During the same period, Peter married Louise Kirby, also a creative person: actress, poet and painter. In 1944, the artist was offered an unexpected position: art director at the New York Sun newspaper, and he worked there until 1946. During World War II, he also became famous for a patriotic work, an illustration depicting soldiers raising the flag on Iwo Jima, which received widespread media publicity.
But after a while Driben and his wife decided to move to Miami Beach in 1956. There he also continued to paint, but already in a different genre, he painted portraits and more traditional paintings. One of his famous portraits was an image of President Dwight Eisenhower. Louise helped organize exhibitions, and they were a success.
Peter Driben passed away in September 1968, and Louise passed away in 1984. Today his name is less well known than that of some other pin-up artists, but his contribution to American visual culture cannot be underestimated.
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