(New York/Massachusetts/German, 1893?1959)Nocturne in Minor Key, an original illustration for Esquire, The Magazine For Men, March, 1937, page 80, signed lower right "Grosz" and inscribed with title, verso with estate stamp, "George Grosz Nachlass" and the numbers˜ "4/75/1", brush, reed pen and pen and ink on paper, 23-1/4 x 18-1/8 in.; silver gilt wood frame, 30-7/8 x 26-5/8 in.Note: This illustration for Esquire was featured in an article of fiction titled "Nocturne in a Minor Key" by Allen McGinnis. "She said she was from Louisiana where folks are soft and don't put much value on a meal or bed." This is the subtitle of the McGinnis fiction, a slightly sad and macabre love story that has a beginning corresponding with the illustration Grosz executed: "She came out of the theatre, blinking at the twinkling glitter of its brilliantly lighted facade, turned and started down the street".Though Grosz, as an artist, was quite well known in the United States, and though he was welcome and celebrated with a number of large exhibitions in reputable galleries in New York right after his arrival in 1933, he had to start a new career as an American artist. Grosz saw one of his chances in becoming famous as an illustrator as he had been in Germany. Already in 1932, during his first visit to New York, he was commissioned to do illustrations for the well known magazines˜The New Yorker˜and˜Vanity Fair. After settling in New York, Grosz was also commissioned to illustrate fiction and novels for the popular magazine˜Esquire. Illustrations in other magazines and books included works for famous American authors like John Dos Passos, Ben Hecht and O. Henry.Grosz was commissioned to do his first illustrations for˜Esquire˜for the September 1936 issue. It was an impressive introduction with an article "Grosz comes to America" by John Dos Passos. Works for˜Esquire˜continued until 1939.-Ralph JentschBrunk Auctions would like to thank Ralph Jentsch for confirming the authenticity of this drawing and for writing the note.The lot is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.˜, Provenance: Studio of the Artist, Douglaston, Long Island, New York; Private Collection; The Estate of Joan Gilkinson, Williamsburg, Virginia editorial inscriptions verso, hinged in, pin holes at corners, some handling creases, some handling grime; frame with abrasions