How many artists with such a unique and bizarre style were entrusted with campaigns of this size?

Wikipedia:

"During his lifetime, however, Artzybasheff was probably known best for his magazine art. He illustrated the major American magazines Life, Fortune, and Time.) He painted 219 Time covers from 1942 to 1966, including portraits of Louis Armstrong (21 February 1949) and Dave Brubeck (8 November 1954). Other illustrators of Time covers during this period, which has been called the golden age of Time covers, included Robert Vickrey, James Ormsbee Chapin, Bernard Safran and Boris Chaliapin. During World War II, he also served an expert advisor to the U.S. Department of State, Psychological Warfare Branch."