"The Mighty Eighth-Russian Shuttle" - Gil Cohen - P-51 Mustang Art

GIL COHEN

A highly schooled fine arts illustrator, Gil Cohen studied under Henry C. Pitz at the Philadelphia College of Art. In 1955, Cohen served as artist with the SHAEF Headquarters, Military Intelligence U.S. Army in West Germany.

His subsequent career as a freelance artist included service to a multitude of clients including the U.S. Information Agency, the National Park Service, Paramount Pictures, Bantam Books, Harlequin Books, Random House, Holt Reinhart Winston, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Coast Guard, Warner-Lambert and Boeing-Sikorsky.

Truly a "gold medal artist" Gil Gohen's exhibitions and awards are numerous. They include the National Military Park system, the Kennedy Center and the Pentagon. He has been awarded gold medals and best of shows by the American Society of Aviation Artists and has received the certificate of merit from the New York Society of Illustrators, as well as the Franklin Mint Award. Cohen is a member of the Air Force Art Program, the New York Society of Illustrators and serves as Coast Guard Illustrator. As an Artist Fellow Member of the American Society of Aviation Artists, he has held the position of Vice President and Chairman of the Exhibition Committee.

He also has a great interest in history and aviation which is reflected in much of his work. His vivid interest in the human aspects of the various wars throughout the centuries zeros in on the interactions between men, which eventually have lead to confrontations and successive warring between peoples and nations. He is continually mystified by the recurring observations that some of the most beautiful mechanisms of engineering, designed by humans, are often created by man for the purpose of war.

Cohen's creative energies are excited and stimulated by the abstract and geometric shapes of structures of all kinds. He has a keen interest in outer space and related subjects.

Gil Cohen Signed and numbered Limited Edition Print "The Mighty Eighth - Russian Shuttle"

In June 1944 Colonel Don Blakeslee, leader of the famed Fourth Fighter Group, finally learned that his P-51 Mustangs were to escort B-17 Flying Fortresses from Debden, England, across Europe to the Soviet Union. The bombers would then fly to Italy, bombing an oil refinery on the way. They would be accompanied by Blakeslee's fighters as far as the Yugoslav coast where P-51's from the Fifteenth Air Force, based in Italy, would take over. Again escorted by the Fourth, the B-17's would make their way home to England, bombing railroad yards in France en route. The operational diary of Blakeslee's Group* shows that the entire Shuttle mission covered 6000 miles, 10 countries and 29V4 hours of operational flying for 10 destroyed and 7 lost. After briefing his fighter pilots, Blakeslee said: "This whole thing is for show." Indeed, it showed a lot: it showed that no target in Germany was safe from air attack; that Allied air supremacy was complete; that the end of the war in Europe was in sight!

Gil Cohen's powerful painting captures the historic scene at Piryatin airfield as Blakeslee is greeted by his Russian hosts. We see him pointing to his watch to indicate that he has landed 'on time to the minute' after his long flight of seven and a half hours across hostile Europe. Whilst the young woman welcomes Don with her simple bouquet of flowers, suspicion and wariness can be seen on the faces of the others present, signaling the decades of Cold War to come between the two Superpowers.

This 31-1/2" by 18-1/2" image size print, 36-1/2" by 24-1/2" overall, limited to 1000, is signed by the artist and Colonel Donald J. Blakeslee.

A Limited Edition print is restricted to a certain number. For example, if 400 prints are made from an original painting, once they’re gone, that’s it. There is no limit to the number of open edition prints of a particular painting. That’s why Limited Edition prints are more expensive — and more valuable to collectors — than "open" edition. Rare objects are more valuable.

All Limited Edition prints are signed and numbered (S/N) individually and include a Certificate of Authenticity.

An Artist Proof (AP), generally, is the first 5% - 10% of the Limited Edition prints that come off the press. If the Limited Edition is 400 s/n, there would be 20 - 40 APs. This status is noted on the print. Collectors prefer APs because their value increases even more than a Limited Edition as time goes by.

All Limited Edition artwork is subject to availability at time of order. Although seller strives to remain currrent as to inventory, seller reserves the right to cancel a sale if item is no longer available at time of purchase.