Arthur Sarnoff

Who was Arthur Sarnoff?

Arthur Sarnoff was an American artist. Prior to working as an illustrator, Sarnoff studied at the Industrial School and the Grand Central School of Art in New York City. He was a member of the Society of Illustrators and exhibited widely including the National Academy of Design.

Sarnoff was a student of John Clymer and Andrew Wyeth. His portfolio includes extensive commercial work for weekly magazines and his art appeared in a variety of advertising campaigns including Karo Syrup, Dextrose, Lucky Strike, Coors, Camay, Sal Hepatica, Listerine, Vick's Vapo Rub, Meds, and Ipana. He also made an album cover for the American punk band Butthole Surfers for their third album, Locust Abortion Technician, which portrays two clowns playing with a dog. During his career Sarnoff provided illustrations for McCall's, American Weekly, Collier's, Woman's Home Companion, Redbook, The American Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, and Good Housekeeping.

His work was whimsical and engaging and relied heavily upon themes of Americana and slapstick humour. One of his paintings, "The Hustler", was one of the best-selling prints of the 1950s.