Ed Emshwiller

Prolific Ed Emshwiller created hundreds of cover and interior artworks for more than two dozen genre magazines including Galaxy and Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Emshwiller, Richard M. Powers, and Frank Kelly Freas were the undisputed rulers of the science-fiction art realm during the 1950s and early 1960s. Emshwiller shared the first Hugo Award for Best Cover Artist in 1953. He often signed his science fiction artwork “Emsh.” Emshwiller worked fast and skillfully, equally at home in dramatic, symbolic or humorous modes. His style was vigorous but polished, though his actual lines tended to be rough, assured, and full of character.  

Emshwiller also painted abstract expressionist canvases and worked in experimental filmmaking, transitioning fulltime to film in 1964. Emshwiller was married to noted author Carol Emshwiller.