Kurt Ard (Danish, 1925-2026) The Muscle Builder
Kurt Ard (Danish, 1925-2026) The Muscle Builder, The Saturday Evening Post cover, March 14, 1959 Tempera on board 24 x 18 inches (61.0 x 45.7 cm) Signed lower right: Kurt Ard From the Collection of Bruce B. & Bettyann L. Nichols Through the mid-20th century, Danish artist Kurt Ard created idealized and nostalgic cover art for popular mainstream magazines across Europe. His ability to capture the universal qualities of childhood and family led to him being courted as a cover artist for The Saturday Evening Post by art director Kenneth Stuart. All told, Ard would create eight covers for the title, including Working Out, which appeared on the cover of the March 14, 1959 issue. The image reflects the yearning of an adolescent boy to grow into a paragon of strength. The theme is one the magazine had shown before, in the famed 1922 Norman Rockwell cover illustration Be A Man. However, the simple dumbbells Rockwell's protagonist holds are here replaced with a newfangled gadget, reflecting something of the growing consumer culture of the post-war era. As described in the issue: "Artist Kurt Ard purchased those awesome exercisers, but you needn't feel sorry for his model – the expanded springs were fastened to the studio walls and all the lad had to exercise was his face. Later Ard found the gadgets useful for various purposes, but not exercising. He learned to pop those springs into the hands of visitors who talked about the big fish they caught." Never before offered for sale, this comes directly from the family of a former employee of Curtis Publishing, gifted by the magazine upon his retirement. The background of the work as it appears today is white rather than the bright yellow of its first published usage, a change likely made while in the possession of Curtis Publishing. The present work appears on page 255 of Covers of The Saturday Evening Post by Jan Cohn (Viking, 1995). The lot is accompanied by a print out of The Saturday Evening Post cover. HID03101062020 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.comxTexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice
Condition
Presents very well. Complete condition report upon request. Heritage Auctions strongly encourages in-person inspection of items by the bidder. Statements by Heritage regarding the condition of objects are for guidance only and should not be relied upon as statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation, warranty, or assumption of liability by Heritage. All lots offered are sold "AS IS"
Kurt Ard (Danish, 1925-2026) The Muscle Builder, The Saturday Evening Post cover, March 14, 1959 Tempera on board 24 x 18 inches (61.0 x 45.7 cm) Signed lower right: Kurt Ard From the Collection of Bruce B. & Bettyann L. Nichols Through the mid-20th century, Danish artist Kurt Ard created idealized and nostalgic cover art for popular mainstream magazines across Europe. His ability to capture the universal qualities of childhood and family led to him being courted as a cover artist for The Saturday Evening Post by art director Kenneth Stuart. All told, Ard would create eight covers for the title, including Working Out, which appeared on the cover of the March 14, 1959 issue. The image reflects the yearning of an adolescent boy to grow into a paragon of strength. The theme is one the magazine had shown before, in the famed 1922 Norman Rockwell cover illustration Be A Man. However, the simple dumbbells Rockwell's protagonist holds are here replaced with a newfangled gadget, reflecting something of the growing consumer culture of the post-war era. As described in the issue: "Artist Kurt Ard purchased those awesome exercisers, but you needn't feel sorry for his model – the expanded springs were fastened to the studio walls and all the lad had to exercise was his face. Later Ard found the gadgets useful for various purposes, but not exercising. He learned to pop those springs into the hands of visitors who talked about the big fish they caught." Never before offered for sale, this comes directly from the family of a former employee of Curtis Publishing, gifted by the magazine upon his retirement. The background of the work as it appears today is white rather than the bright yellow of its first published usage, a change likely made while in the possession of Curtis Publishing. The present work appears on page 255 of Covers of The Saturday Evening Post by Jan Cohn (Viking, 1995). The lot is accompanied by a print out of The Saturday Evening Post cover. HID03101062020 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.comxTexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice
Condition
Presents very well. Complete condition report upon request. Heritage Auctions strongly encourages in-person inspection of items by the bidder. Statements by Heritage regarding the condition of objects are for guidance only and should not be relied upon as statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation, warranty, or assumption of liability by Heritage. All lots offered are sold "AS IS"
