For over three decades, Dean Cornwell (1892-1960) was recognized as the "Dean of Illustrators", a nickname given to him by his peers. Celebrated and well known during his lifetime, Cornwell began his career as an illustrator in 1914. Between 1920 through the mid-1950s his art appeared regularly in magazines, illustrated books, and posters advertising hundreds of products. Cornwell was awarded the contract for the Los Angeles Public Library murals in 1927 and spent the next five years researching and painting the final canvases; he completed the murals in 1932. In addition to the Library's large murals, he painted over twenty historic murals in public buildings across the U.S. In 1959 he was inducted into the society of Illustrator's Hall of Fame. In the winter of 1960, Cornwell suffered severe abdominal pains resulting from a ruptured main artery and died - he was 68 years old. Mural artist Dean Cornwell sits in the Central Library rotunda with sketches in hand.
Cornwell, Dean,--1892-1960 Los Angeles Public Library Murals--California--Los Angeles Libraries--California--Los Angeles Artists--California--Los Angeles Herald-Examiner Collection photographs
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