Frank Kelly Freas (1922-2005) has been called the most popular illustrator in the history of science fiction.
He was the first to win the World Science Fiction Society’s annual Hugo Award ten times. He won the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists’ Chesley Award, Comic-Con International’s Inkpot Award, and lifetime achievement awards from DeepSouthCon (the Phoenix), the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (the Forry), and the Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests. He was placed in the Science Fiction Museum’s Hall of Fame.
His illustration of a cynical Martian for Fredric Brown’s novel Martians, Go Home was adopted by the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy.
His illustration of a giant robot clutching a human body for Tom Godwin’s story “The Gulf Between” was re-commissioned by the band Queen for their album “News of the World”.
“I have to read the story, illustrate the story, and make sure the illustration communicates. If I’m doing the cover of a book, it has to make people want to buy and read the book — and leave them satisfied with what they saw.”
Kelly Freas