Frank Frazetta's $13.5M Conan Painting Shatters Record
In 2010, Frank Frazetta, renowned as the "Godfather of fantasy art," died at the age of 82. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1928 and started drawing during his childhood, enrolling in the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts at just eight years old. At sixteen, he ventured into commercial art, contributing to comic books and creating Snowman. His portfolio included notable works for Buck Rogers, EC Comics, and Little Annie Fanny for Playboy. Frazetta revolutionized sword-and-sorcery art in the 1960s with masterpieces featuring Tarzan, John Carter of Mars, and Conan the Barbarian. His cinematic approach inspired many artists. In 2025, his painting Man Ape fetched $13.5 million. He was inducted into several halls of fame, and the Frazetta Art Museum showcases his original pieces.
Key facts
- Frank Frazetta was born in 1928 in Brooklyn, New York, to a Sicilian family.
- He enrolled at the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts at age eight.
- At sixteen, he began commercial art, publishing his own comic strip Snowman.
- He worked on Buck Rogers for Famous Funnies, EC Comics, and Al Capp's Li'l Abner.
- He created Little Annie Fanny for Playboy magazine.
- In the 1960s, he transitioned to pulp book covers, defining fantasy art with works for Conan the Barbarian and Tarzan.
- His 1966 painting Man Ape sold for $13.5 million in 2025, a record.
- He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1995.
- The Frazetta Art Museum in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, holds his largest collection.
- His family runs Frazetta Girls, the official brand for his legacy.
Entities
Artists
- Frank Frazetta
- Al Capp
- Edgar Rice Burroughs
- Robert E. Howard
- Ringo Starr
- Woody Allen
Institutions
- Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts
- Famous Funnies
- EC Comics
- Playboy
- Warren Publications
- Mad Magazine
- Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame
- Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame
- Jack Kirby Hall of Fame
- Frazetta Art Museum
- Frazetta Girls
- Displate
Locations
- Brooklyn
- New York
- United States
- East Stroudsburg
- Pennsylvania