STOCKBRIDGE, MASS.- Admired by Norman Rockwell and acknowledged as one of America’s preeminent twentieth century illustration masters, J.C. Leyendecker (1894-1951) rose to fame as the creator of elegant artworks for mass publication. He turned his unmistakable aesthetic to the posters, books, and advertisements of his day, and was celebrated for his Arrow Collar Man, a sophisticated and idealized trade character of his own design. Between 1896 and 1950, Leyendecker illustrated more than 400 magazine covers for the nation’s trade and general interest publications, including “Collier’s," "Ladies' Home Journal," "Judge," and "The Saturday Evening Post," for which he created 322 cover paintings (one more than Rockwell’s 321). Twenty years Rockwell’s senior, he was the artist most closely identified with the “Post" during the first decades of the twentieth century. This spring, a new exhibition will offer a rare glimpse of each of Leyendecker’s "Post" cover designs, along with original artwork that showcases the artist’s unique and capable hand—"J.C. Leyendecker and The Saturday Evening Post" is on view March 21 through June 14, 2015 at Norman Rockwell Museum.

Illustration historian Roger Reed notes that "J.C. Leyendecker’s main contribution is to have invented, along with other illustrators, the modern magazine cover as a miniature poster that would engage the viewer, impart an idea, and sell the issue, all within the few moments one browses at the newsstand." "Leyendecker was an incredible artist," adds Norman Rockwell Museum Trustee William Hargreaves, whose donation of all 322 of the artist’s "Saturday Evening Post" cover tearsheets to the Museum’s permanent collection, forms the centerpiece of the exhibition. A long-time collector of magazines and advertisements featuring both Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell, Hargreaves finds it "interesting to see how their work progressed during their long careers with the 'Post.'" Viewers of the exhibition will have that opportunity, as the Leyendecker exhibition will complement the Museum’s ongoing display of all 321 of Rockwell’s "Post" covers.

Norman Rockwell Museum’s Deputy Director/Chief Curator, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett observes that, "like many illustrators of the era, Norman Rockwell admired and imitated J.C. Leyendecker’s distinctive style, particularly as a fledgling artist in search of his own voice. The two enjoyed a warm friendship during their years as neighbors in New Rochelle, New York, and Leyendecker’s influence on Rockwell will also be explored in this exhibition. We are extremely grateful to Bill Hargreaves, and lenders Carol Konner, The Eisenstat Collection of Illustration, National Museum of American Illustration, and other private collectors for making rarely-seen prints and original artworks available for this exhibition."

"J.C. Leyendecker and The Saturday Evening Post" includes 26 original artworks by the artist, including several of his New Year’s Baby paintings, which were created for the “ ost" from 1907 to 1943, and became his most enduring series of images. A selection of the artist’s Christmas, Easter, and wartime paintings also are included, in addition to original works by his brother, F.X. Leyendecker (1877-1924), and Norman Rockwell (1894-1978).

A sought-after image maker, J.C Leyendecker (1874-1951) was best known for paintings of fashionable men and women in a sleek, idealized style, perfectly suited for the many corporations that commissioned this work—from Arrow and Kuppenheimer clothing to Procter & Gamble, Kellogg’s, Pierce-Arrow Automobiles, and the United States Armed Forces. A sensitive observer, he also created poignant, whimsical works capturing the antics of children, the bond between mothers and their infants, the blush of new romance, and the intensity of athletes engaged in sports.

Symbolic, recognizable imagery was at the core of the artist’s visual arsenal for "The Saturday Evening Post," where he created 322 eye-catching cover designs. In addition to his series of New Year’s baby covers, the artist depicted such all-American holidays as the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas; the tradition of giving gifts of flowers on Mother’s Day began with his May 30, 1914 “Post" cover, depicting a bellhop carrying a bouquet of hyacinths.

Classically trained at the Chicago Art Institute, and the Colarossi and Academie Julian in Paris, Leyendecker was a gifted draughtsman and technician who eschewed the use of photography in favor of direct drawing from life. His secret painting medium, a mix of oils and turpentine, produced the rich, fluid brush strokes and luminous painting surfaces that are hallmarks of his work.