Artist Paul Rader is an undeservedly forgotten genius who stood at the origins of the pin-up genre.

When they list famous artists who worked in the pin-up genre, for some reason they always forget Paul Rader. He is remembered only in a narrow circle of collectors and art historians. It is not easy to explain such an attitude towards this master, because in the first half of the 20th century he was considered a genius and was called one of the pillars of modern American illustration.

Isaac Paul Rader, and this is exactly what the full name of the artist looks like, was born in 1906 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. His family was not rich - his father worked as a carpenter, and his mother was a housewife. The raiders were constantly moving, as the head of the family worked as a contractor at large construction sites. As a result, the family settled in the city of Toledo, Ohio.

It was in Toledo that the very young Paul became interested in painting. He independently mastered artistic wisdom, using books from the city library. But the main role was played by undoubted talent. Already at the age of 16, Rader was awarded an unheard of part. His paintings have been exhibited at the Toledo Museum of Art next to the works of famous masters.

Paul became the youngest author in the United States to be recognized at such a high level. Unfortunately, the Toledo Museum did not take care of buying Rader's paintings, so they are not in the modern exhibition. When the artist's father moved to work in Detroit, he followed him. Paul set up a studio in the attic above his parents' apartment and painted there. He entered the prestigious Wayne University, but quickly lost interest in studying and dropped out.

In Detroit, Rader made money by painting portraits. Since the young man already had a solid authority, judges, big businessmen and city officials became his customers. Having collected a certain amount, the young artist went to study painting in Europe. Arriving back in Detroit, Rader gets married at the age of 25. His wife was from Philadelphia, and in 1931 the young family moved there.

In Philadelphia, Paul Reider lived and worked until 1940, until he divorced. After that, he moved to New York and remarried in 1942. During the war years, the artist put aside brushes and paints for a while - he got a job as a welder at the Citizen's Prep defense plant. In 1945 he again began taking commissions as an artist and opened a new studio in New York.

Over time, the artist almost stopped painting portraits. Rader had a family to feed and turned to commercial illustrations. He created advertisements for well-known US companies: Sharp & Doane Drugs, General Electric, Lovable Bras. He was also constantly approached by the editors of various magazines.

A little later, book publishers drew attention to the talented illustrator. Rader has been commissioned for covers by Gold Medal, Ace, Pyramid, Berkley and Midwood. Especially fruitful cooperation began between the master and the Midwood book house. Company executives wanted their books to stand out. Therefore, Rader was ordered frankly erotic illustrations.

The artist quickly mastered the new genre and became one of the leading authors of sexual illustrations in the United States. Rader often drew from life, and his wife Edith was his favorite model. He considered his teacher Alberto Vargas, who made pin-up a world trend.

In 1967, Paul Reider became seriously ill. He was diagnosed with a dangerous stomach tumor. A timely operation saved his life, but health problems haunted the artist until the end of his life. Despite this, he continued to work hard and created hundreds of covers and illustrations. Rader spent the last two years of his life in Ocala, Florida. There he died at the age of 79.