Fantasy Art, this colourful blend of myth, muscles and sexy virgins, dates back to 1923, the year of publication of Weird Tales magazine. The genre was revived in the 1960s when The Lord of the Rings experienced a reissue, Conan the Barbar in paperback with cover images of Frank Frazetta disputed numerous adventures and Roger Dean record cover with psychedelic fantasy scenes. However, the final breakthrough succeeded in the 1970s with the role play Dungeons & Dragons, the ingenious French magazine Métal Hurlant and the first film in the long Star Wars series, War of Stars. The number of active artists reached their zenith this decade. By the advent of trading and trading cards in the 1990s, a new generation of fans discovered the genre for themselves. Frank Frazetta's oil paintings last scored prices of more than $5 million if they even came on the market, and fans are queuing on the comic cons to meet Boris Vallejo, Rodney Matthews, Greg Hildebrandt, Michael Whelan, and Philippe Druillet and late Iand and late IIcons such as HR Giger, Jeffrey Catherine Jones and Frazetta - all of which are represented in this volume.

This book showcases the original paintings, each complemented by draft sketches, sculptures, calendars, magazines, and paperbacks, and offers deep insights into this dynamic, imaginative genre. Informative biographies draw a more accurate and meaningful picture of the artists than any Wikipedia entry. Already now, History of Fantasy Art is considered to be the most informative leader on this subject as popular as it is intriguing.

About the range

Bags are 40! Since we took up our work as a cultural treasure grave in 1980, TASCHEN has stood for affordable, high-quality and sometimes great publications. Whether art or body cult – we make it possible for bookworms around the world to assemble their own libraries at unbeatable prices. Today we celebrate our 40th birthday and stay true to our motto: the 40th Anniversary Edition gathers some of the top titles of our program in smart editions - handy format, friendly price and as always produced with great dedication.