Draft:Victor Kalin

Victor Kalin (January 19, 1919 ‒ November, 24, 1991), was an American illustrator and fine artist who is known for illustrations for major magazines in the late 1940's and 1950's, paperback book covers in the 1950 and 1960s, and LP record covers in the 1960s and 1970s. Among his many illustrations, paintings and drawings of jazz musicians are the well-known album gate-fold portrait of John Coltrane in the Impulse LP A Love Supreme and the cover art of Charles Mingus in Mingus Plays Piano. Many of his portraits of musicians were derived from photographs he took at festivals - e.g., the Newport festivals of the late 50s and early 60s. The original Coltrane photo and image are discussed and shown in the book by Ashley Kahn, A Love Supreme; The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album.

His paperback book illustrations and "noir" themed covers are recognized for their originality and dramatic composition. "Walt Reed (Illustrator in America) said of Victor: '[Kalin’s] first illustrations were done for The American Weekly but for many years the majority of his pictures were painted for paperback book covers. Unlike many artists who develop a strong, easily identifiable technique, he was so interested in experimentation that his work looked continually new.'"

Early life and education: Victor Kalin, also known as "Vic", was born in Belleville, Kansas in 1919. He began drawing and painting as a small boy. In high school, he won a national Hallmark Student Card Contest, and in 1941 achieved national recognition by winning the National Ziegfield Girl Contest sponsored by the Art Students League of New York, which drew more than 1000 paintings by artists from around the country. Taking time off from his graduate studies he toured as a trumpet player with a band led by Jimmy Caton, a musician from South Dakota. He attended the University of Kansas where after graduating in 1941 he taught for a year, leaving with an MFA in 1942 to join the war effort.

Service in WW2: During World War 2, he served as an artist correspondent for Yank Magazine in the Azores. It was while there that he met his wife, Catherine (Kate) Bryan.

Community pursuits: He served on the Board of the Norwalk Symphony and was active in the Fairfield Watercolor Group and the Silvermine Guild. He was also a member of the Back Porch Brown Bag Dirty Talk Society, a group of art-loving friends who, for 30 years, met regularly to listen to music and share stories.

Illness and death: Though in 1973 he was diagnosed with leukemia, he remained active until his death in 1991, spending less time on commercial artwork and more on large abstract paintings.