A celebration of the work of one of America's top aviation artists.

Many of the works of American artist and illustrator Gil Cohen can be found at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, and the Pentagon, as well as in other important public and private collections. After spending decades as a respected illustrator for magazines and book publishers, Cohen chose to turn his attention to aviation and military themes.

His more recent paintings vividly depict the human aspects of America's wars, showing soldiers and aviators in battle and at rest. One of Cohen's recurring observations is that, unfortunately, some of humankind's most remarkable feats of engineering are often created for the purpose of war.

Cohen's paintings are collected worldwide, and his clients include the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Coast Guard; Paramount Pictures; Random House; Holt, Rinehart & Winston; Bantam Books; Harlequin Books; and Boeing-Sikorsky.

Gil Cohen has received many national awards for his work, including the Franklin Mint Award and gold medals and Best of Show honors from the American Society of Aviation Artists. He is a member of the New York Society of Illustrators and the American Society of Aviation Artists. He lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Colonel Donald Blakeslee flew more combat missions against the Luftwaffe during World War II than any other American fighter pilot and was the most decorated pilot in that conflict.

Dan Patterson is a renowned aviation photographer and the coauthor of many aviation titles, including the landmark Aviation Century series. He was the first recipient of the Combs Award, presented by the National Aviation Hall of Fame to honor outstanding contributions to the photographic preservation of America's air and space heritage.