Richard M. Powers

American science fiction illustrator (1921–1996)

For other people named Richard Powers, see Richard Powers (disambiguation).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Richard M. Powers" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Richard M. Powers (February 24, 1921 - March 9, 1996) was an American science fiction and fantasy fiction illustrator. He was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2008[1][2] and the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2016.[3]

## Life and work

[edit]

Born in Chicago into a Catholic family, Richard Michael Gorman Powers[4] spent most of his early life supported by his mother and aunt. His father left the family when Powers was young. At eleven, Powers was introduced to art when his uncle gave him a sketch book, although in later life[when?] his uncle's wife would try to prevent him from making any art[clarification needed]. He studied Greek at Loyola University before switching to art, taking classes at Mizen Academy, Chicago Art Institute and the University of Illinois at Chicago. After enlisting to join World War II, he took more art classes at the University of Kentucky during basic training, thereafter working in the Signal Corps in New York City. He married and began a career in illustrations for magazines and publishing houses, continuing his art education at The New School in New York.[5] Eventually, he became one of the most influential science fiction and fantasy fiction artists of all time.

He began by working in a conventional pulp-derived style, but quickly evolved a personal Surrealist idiom influenced by the cubists and surrealists, especially Picasso and Yves Tanguy. He also painted in a more purely abstract style and worked in collage at a later age before dying in 1996 at the age of 75.

From the 1940s through the 1960s, he did many of covers for Doubleday. During the 1950s and 1960s, he served as an unofficial art director for Ballantine Books.

## Cultural influence

[edit]

In 2010, Andy Partridge, former frontman of the British new wave band XTC released a limited edition CD of music inspired by Powers' art titled POWERS.[6]

## Selected works

[edit]

In 1952, Powers provided a Galaxy Science Fiction cover highlighting essays by de Camp and by Robert A. Heinlein

### Collections

[edit]

* Spacetimewarp: Paintings (1983) (Doubleday Science Fiction Book Club)

### Illustrated books

[edit]

Powers provided interior illustrations for a number of Easton Press special editions of classic science fiction novels, including a 1986 editions of The Gods Themselves and To Your Scattered Bodies Go.

* American Tall Tales, Adrien Stoutenburg, interior illustrations (Puffin, 1976) ISBN 978-0-14-030928-7
* The Number of the Beast (1980), interior artwork and cover illustrations, first edition

### Album covers

[edit]

* Symphonie Fantastique Hector Berlioz, Charles Munch, conductor, Boston Symphony Orchestra. RCA Victor, 1955[7]
* Is It...Man or Astroman? Man or Astro-Man, Estrus Records, 1995[8]

### Book covers

[edit]

The Internet Speculative Fiction Database catalogs hundreds of book covers illustrated by Powers beginning 1950 (two known).[4] These include:

* Pebble in the Sky (Doubleday, 1950), by Isaac Asimov
* The Science Fiction Galaxy (Permabooks, 1950), ed. Groff Conklin – uncredited[4]
* The Mountain and the Valley (Henry Holt and Company, 1952), by Ernest Buckler
* The Long Loud Silence (1952)
* Tomorrow, the Stars (1952)
* Shadow of Tomorrow, Anthology of 17 stories, edited by Frederik Pohl, Permabooks, (1953)
* Childhood's End (1953)
* More Than Human (1953)
* Expedition to Earth (1953)
* Ahead of Time (1953)
* Star Science Fiction Stories No.1 (1953)
* Earthlight (1955)
* Citizen in Space (1955)
* Who Goes There? and Other Stories (1955)
* The Human Angle (1956)
* Reach for Tomorrow (1956)
* Robots and Changelings (1957)
* Starburst (1958)
* On an Odd Note (1958)
* The Cosmic Rape (1958)
* Man of Earth (1958)
* Wolfbane (1959)
* Nine Tomorrows (collection) (1959)
* Far Rainbow (1963)
* Greybeard (1964)
* The Invincible (1964) (1973 translation)
* The Second Invasion from Mars (1968)
* The Daleth Effect (1970)
* Vermilion Sands (1971)
* The Fabulous Riverboat (1971)
* Roadside Picnic (1977)
* Firing the Cathedral (2002)

### Short stories

[edit]

* Three Acts With Ballet (1947) [9]

## References

[edit]

Citations

1. ^ ""2008 Science Fiction Hall of Fame Ceremony Tickets On Sale May 15"". Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved 2013-03-21.. Press release April/May 2008. Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (empsfm.org). Archived 2008-05-10. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
2. ^ "Powers, Richard" Archived 2012-10-16 at the Wayback Machine. The Locus Index to SF Awards: Index of Art Nominees. Locus Publications. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
3. ^ Powers, Richard Gid. "2016 Hall of Fame Inductee : Richard Powers". Retrieved 2019-06-06.
4. ^ a b c Richard Powers at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB). Retrieved 2013-04-09.
5. ^ The Art of Richard Powers by Jane Frank
6. ^ [1] Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
7. ^ Rca Victor LM-1900: Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique by Charles Munch
8. ^ Chantry, A., & Rochester, M. R. (2015). Art Chantry Speaks : A Heretic’s History of 20th Century Graphic Design. Port Townsend, WA: Feral House.
9. ^ January–February 1947 Story Magazine pages 85 to 92

Sources

* Frank, Jane; "The Art of Richard Powers", London : Paper Tiger, 2001. ISBN 1-85585-890-8
* The Frank Collection: A Showcase of the World's Finest Fantastic Art, Jane and Howard Frank. Paper Tiger, 1999

## External links

[edit]

* Richard M. Powers
* Dave Hartwell's account of Richard M. Powers
* A collection of Richard M. Powers' published artwork: The Powers Compendium
* Richard Powers at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
* "Richard M. Powers biography". Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
* Cyber Art Gallery

* v
* t
* e

Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame

1958–1959

| 1958|

* Norman Rockwell

|

1959|

* Dean Cornwell
* Harold von Schmidt

1960–1969

| 1960|

* Fred Cooper

|

1961|

* Floyd Davis

1962|

* Edward A. Wilson

1963|

* Walter Biggs

1964|

* Arthur William Brown

1965|

* Al Parker

1966|

* Albert Dorne

1967|

* Robert Fawcett

1968|

* Peter Helck

1969|

* Austin Briggs

1970–1979

| 1970|

* Rube Goldberg

|

1971|

* Stevan Dohanos

1972|

* Ray Prohaska

1973|

* Jon Whitcomb

1974|

* Charles Dana Gibson
* Tom Lovell
* N. C. Wyeth

1975|

* Bernie Fuchs
* Maxfield Parrish
* Howard Pyle

1976|

* Harvey Dunn
* John Falter
* Winslow Homer

1977|

* J. C. Leyendecker
* Wallace Morgan
* Robert Peak

1978|

* Norman Price
* Frederic Remington
* Coby Whitmore

1979|

* Edwin Austin Abbey
* Lorraine Fox
* Ben Stahl

1980–1989

| 1980|

* Howard Chandler Christy
* James Montgomery Flagg
* Saul Tepper

|

1981|

* Stan Galli
* John Gannam
* Frederic R. Gruger

1982|

* John Clymer
* Carl Erickson
* Henry P. Raleigh

1983|

* Franklin Booth
* Mark English
* Noel Sickles

1984|

* John La Gatta
* Neysa McMein
* James Williamson

1985|

* Arthur Burdett Frost
* Charles Marion Russell
* Robert Weaver

1986|

* Al Hirschfeld
* Rockwell Kent

1987|

* Maurice Sendak
* Haddon Sundblom

1988|

* René Bouché
* Pruett Carter
* Robert T. McCall

1989|

* Erté
* John Held Jr.
* Arthur Ignatius Keller

1990–1999

| 1990|

* Robert Riggs
* Morton Roberts
* Burt Silverman

|

1991|

* Jessie Willcox Smith
* William Arthur Smith
* Donald Teague

1992|

* Joe Bowler
* Edwin A. Georgi
* Dorothy Hood

1993|

* Robert McGinnis
* Thomas Nast
* Coles Phillips

1994|

* Harry Anderson
* Elizabeth Shippen Green
* Ben Shahn

1995|

* James Avati
* McClelland Barclay
* Joseph Clement Coll
* Frank Schoonover

1996|

* Anton Otto Fischer
* Winsor McCay
* Violet Oakley
* Mead Schaeffer
* Herbert Tauss

1997|

* Chesley Bonestell
* Joe DeMers
* Diane Dillon
* Leo Dillon
* Maynard Dixon
* Harrison Fisher
* Frank McCarthy

1998|

* Boris Artzybasheff
* Robert M. Cunningham
* Kerr Eby
* Frank Frazetta
* Edward Penfield
* Martha Sawyers

1999|

* Mitchell Hooks
* Andrew Loomis
* Antonio Lopez
* Stanley Meltzoff
* Thomas Moran
* Rose O'Neill
* Adolph Treidler

2000–2009

| 2000|

* James Bama
* Nell Brinkley
* Charles Livingston Bull
* David Stone Martin
* Alice and Martin Provensen
* J. Allen St. John

|

2001|

* John James Audubon
* Will H. Bradley
* Howard Brodie
* F. O. C. Darley
* Charles R. Knight
* Franklin McMahon

2002|

* E. Simms Campbell
* Milton Glaser
* Jean-Leon Huens
* Daniel Schwartz

2003|

* Elaine Duillo
* David Levine
* Bill Mauldin
* Jack Potter

2004|

* John Berkey
* John Groth
* Robert Andrew Parker
* Saul Steinberg

2005|

* Jack Davis
* Brad Holland
* Herbert Paus
* Albert Beck Wenzell

2006|

* Gilbert Bundy
* Bradshaw Crandell
* Keith Ferris
* Harold Foster
* Frank H. Netter
* Alvin J. Pimsler
* Jack Unruh

2007|

* David Grove
* Gary Kelley
* Edward Windsor Kemble
* Russell Patterson
* George Stavrinos

2008|

* Benton Clark
* Matt Clark
* Kinuko Y. Craft
* Naiad Einsel
* Walter Einsel

2009|

* Mario Cooper
* Paul Davis
* Laurence Fellows
* Arnold Roth
* Herbert Morton Stoops

2010–2019

| 2010|

* Charles Edward Chambers
* Earl Oliver Hurst
* Orson Lowell
* Wilson McLean
* Chris Van Allsburg

|

2011|

* Kenneth Paul Block
* Alan E. Cober
* Robert Heindel
* Fred Otnes
* Jerry Pinkney

2012|

* Ludwig Bemelmans
* R. O. Blechman
* John Collier
* Edward Gorey
* John Sloan
* Nancy Stahl

2013|

* Ted CoConis
* George Herriman
* Sanford Kossin
* Arthur Rackham
* Charles M. Schulz
* Murray Tinkelman

2014|

* Mary Blair
* Walter Everett
* Al Jaffee
* Syd Mead
* William Cameron Menzies
* Alex Raymond
* Edward Sorel

2015|

* Bernard D'Andrea
* Walter M. Baumhofer
* Will Eisner
* Virgil Finlay
* Ted Lewin and Betsy Lewin
* Pat Oliphant
* Arthur Szyk

2016|

* Marshall Arisman
* Rolf Armstrong
* Guy Billout
* Peter de Sève
* William Glackens
* Beatrix Potter
* Richard M. Powers

2017|

* Mort Drucker
* Bart Forbes
* Anita Kunz
* Ralph Steadman
* Burne Hogarth
* George Petty
* Gustaf Tenggren

2018|

* Robert Crumb
* Kate Greenaway
* René Gruau
* Jack Kirby
* Heinrich Kley
* Hilary Knight
* James McMullan
* Kay Nielsen
* C. F. Payne

2019|

* Alice Barber Stephens
* Mary Petty
* Frank Godwin
* Mark Summers
* Vincent Di Fate
* Roz Chast

2020–2029

| 2020|

* Thomas Blackshear
* Edmund Dulac
* Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (Mœbius)
* Jeffrey Catherine Jones
* Barbara Nessim
* Drew Struzan

|

2021|

* Braldt Bralds
* Margaret Brundage
* Walter Percy Day
* Dale Messick
* Craig Mullins
* Floyd Norman

2022|

* Charles Addams
* George Booth
* Emory Douglas
* Brian and Wendy Froud
* Reynold Ruffins
* Sarah S. Stilwell Weber

2023|

* Richard Amsel
* Anna Whelan Betts
* Reynold Brown
* Seymour Chwast
* Helen Hokinson
* Wendell Minor
* Barron Storey

2024|

* Steve Brodner
* Gustave Doré
* Robert Grossman
* Gregory Manchess
* Yuko Shimizu
* Virginia Frances Sterrett

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Australia
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Israel

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

Other|

* SNAC

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template