Gene Bilbrew | |
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Born | Eugene Bilbrew June 29, 1923 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Died | May 1974 (aged 50) New York City, U.S. |
Area(s) | Cartoonist, Artist |
Pseudonym(s) | ENEG, Van Rod, Bondy |
Notable works | Island of Captive Girls, Prison for Women,[1]: 205 The Whip Artist,[1]: 88 High Heels in the Heavens, Madam Adista, Dangerous Years[1]: 90 Satin Satellite,[1]: 103 Exotique magazine[1]: 120–122 |
Eugene "Gene" Bilbrew (June 29, 1923 – May 1974)[2] was an American vocal group singer, cartoonist, and "bizarre art" pioneer. As noted in the biography, GENE BILBREW REVEALED: The Unsung Legacy of a Fetish Art Pioneer, he was "the first black career fetish artist in history."[1]: 4 Starting in the mid-1950s, he was among the most prolific illustrators of fetish-oriented pulp book covers.[3] In addition to signing his work under his own name, he produced art under a range of pseudonyms, including ENEG ("Gene" spelled backwards), Van Rod, and Bondy.[1]: 80