Original Oil Painting of John Wayne with Angel Wings for the cover of Esquire Magazine by artist Birney Lettick (Oil on Artist Board)

Offered is an intriguing original oil painting depicting “The Duke” John Wayne with angel wings that was used for the cover of the April 1980 issue of Esquire Magazine. Artist Birney Lettick pained the work, which is oil on board, to illustrate the cover story “Somewhere the Duke is Smiling: A Guide to the New Hard-Line Culture”. Lettick beautifully capture Wayne in a classic pose and coupled it with the image of him as s smiling angel, to support the take of the article. Lettick's career as an illustrator spanned decades and he was noted for his magazine covers for Time, Colliers, National Geographic, and Reader's Digest. He was also a painter, and created over twenty portraits of world and industry leaders for the cover of Time Magazine, all of which are part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. His final painting before his death was a portrait of President Reagan for the cover of Time. Additionally, Lettick created the iconic movie poster art for the 1978 Warren Beatty classic Heaven Can Wait - the painting is not dissimilar to the offered work, with Beatty sporting a pair of angel wings. The painting is accompanied by an original copy of the April 1980 Esquire, and a copy of the cover is adhered to the reverse of the frame for reference. The painting measures 12 x 15 inches and is framed to an overall size of 17 ½ x 21 inches. Near Mint to Mint condition.