The son of Czech immigrants, Ed Valigursky was born in Pennsylvania and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.  He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago on the G.I. Bill and started doing freelance pulp work while he was still a student.  Until his retirement in 1990, Valigursky painted hundreds of science fiction-themed images.  He also produced several paintings that celebrated the history of aviation.

A small sampling of his work can be found below.