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Honorary Member
Art
Fitzpatrick
4246 Highland Dr
Carlsbad, CA, 92008
USA
Tel:
1-760-729-5243
Fax:
1-760-729-3459
e-mail:
>fitz@fitz-art.com
web:
>www.fitz-art.com |
“Fitz’s” resume is a
listing of years of accomplishments, but he is best known for 1959-1971 Pontiac
Wide Track advertising. Much of the work seen here is from that record-breaking
campaign that still resonates today. Credited with dramatically transforming
Pontiac’s image, driving sales from 7th to 3rd place, it’s a
compelling testimony to the power of visual persuasion.
Fitz began his
career at 18 as an automotive designer with John Tjaarda at Briggs Body
(LeBaron) in Detroit in 1937, and at 20 he was in Hollywood with Dutch Darrin,
designing the 4-door Darrin Packards, followed by work at Packard on the new
Clipper. Lured by Madison Ave. into the advertising world after WW II service
in the Navy, his new career became 8 years of Lincoln and Mercury ads, plus
those of 5 other cars. In 1949 he put the talents of the late Van Kaufman to
work painting figures and backgrounds in the Mercury ads, beginning a
collaboration and friendship that last, until Vans death in 1995.
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Stamp images © USPS,
2005
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from
above...
1953 began an unprecedented artist/client relationship, an
exclusive contract with General Motors that ran for 21 years. It resulted in
award-winning advertising art and graphic design for the Corporation, Buick,
GM/Canada, GM/Europe, and the 13 years of pace setting work for the Pontiac
Division. Other clients included major magazines and Fortune 500 corporations
such as General Electric, Uniroyal, Chris-Craft, and Texaco.
There were
over 40 awards for art, advertising, and design, (including top awards in
international competition from among thousands of entrants). The work was
recognized by millions, seen in magazines all over the world for nearly 30
years . Feature articles on his life and work have appeared in leading
automotive magazines in the U.S., England, Japan, South Korea,and Russia, and
in books on art, advertising, and automobiles. Its been said that his work has
inspired and guided at least three generations of automotive designers and
illustrators.
His recent work includes the five popular car
illustrations featured in the "America on the Move" postage stamps for the U.S.
Post Office. In six months they had joined the top 25 of all commemorative
stamps in history, 38,000,000 having been bought as collectibles. The postcards
in four months became the best selling cards of 2005, beating out Disneys by
over two to one. Fitz Is also given a screen credit for his consulting with
PIXAR Studios on their new feature film Cars.
He is an Honorary Member
of both the AFAS and the Classic Car Club of America. |
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