His name is McGinnis. Robert McGinnis.
If the 91-year-old artist isn’t himself instantly recognizable as James Bond, his work sure is. And in a new Vanity Fair profile, McGinnis is celebrated as the hand behind some of the most iconic American commercial works of art—most notably his famous movies posters.
Maybe McGinnis’ best work can be found on the series of posters he did for the Bond franchise, including Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, and Live and Let Die. Of the latter, actress Jane Seymour, who was the Bond girl opposite Roger Moore, was slightly miffed, given McGinnis’ rendering of her as a redhead (not a brunette) on the poster (see below).
Seymour told Vanity Fair, “I think it’s a great poster. But at the time I saw it I thought, It’s a shame I’m not on it. I thought I was in this movie.” (He also did the classic posters for Barbarella and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.)
McGinnis also designed the covers of over 1,000 pulp and sci-fi novels, and still produces big-time pieces like the poster he produced for the 2004 animated film, The Incredibles.
All have become highly collectible, too, as is obvious from Heritage Auctions’ examples both live and in its archives.
Read the full Vanity Fair profile here.
Interested in buying a few McGinnis originals for your personal collection? Search Heritage Auctions’ current movie poster listings here. Below, watch a video that features more of McGinnis’ artwork.
—RealClearLife
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