Garrett Price came into his own this week, at least in terms of the art market. An original cover illustration for The New Yorker from the summer of 1951 sold for a healthy $6120 at Bonhams New York. Whether that is or isn't a record price for the artist I don't know, but it is impressive.
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| Garrett Price Original art The New Yorker, August 11, 1951 |
And what a cover illustration it is! Price is a master at depicting different artistic genres, but it is the cultural clash he has depicted here that resonates. The art we choose to surround ourselves with defines the tastes we aspire to and even to some extent the people we aspire to be. The surrealist painting being carried into a gallery full of representational works reminds us of a broad swath of the public's discomfort with the advent of modern art in America since the Armory Show of 1913. Dislike and even derision of modernism is widespread to this day.
The condition report gives the work high marks, noting that "the medium appears well preserved and the pigments have maintained their brilliance overall." Have they? To my eye, the reds in the original have faded considerably, leaving it with a bluish cast. Compare the colors of the published cover:
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| Garrett Price The New Yorker, August 11, 1951 |
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| The hammer price |
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| The sale price, including buyer's premium |
Note: Well, now that I've gone and made a claim I can't verify, I suppose I should ask publicly whether this is indeed an auction record for Garrett Price. Anybody want to field that?
Images of original art by Garrett Price are welcome here on the blog. Even abstract works of his will be graciously accepted, despite the mumblings of the masses.
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