Right now there's a lot of interest in the reportage work of Ronald Searle. An exhibition of the artist's original illustrations for Holiday magazine and for the American market in general is slated to open this November in San Francisco and should be brilliant. To help raise funds for this project, including shipping vintage Searle illustrations to San Francisco and producing an exhibition catalogue, many prominent animators have contributed original works of art inspired by Searle. There are currently multiple such works listed on eBay as well as a couple of German fountain pens that belonged to Searle himself and were donated to the auction by his estate. There was, of course, a whimsical side to Searle's artwork as well. For example, this lithograph of an uninhibited roller skater is from the 1970 suite Meilleurs Voeux[Best Wishes] published by Michel Cassé, Paris. The suite consisted of five small lithographs trimmed from the usual 50 x 65 cm sheet and published in a numbered edition of 200 for the Galerie La Pochade in Paris. An additional seven were set aside for the printer and there were ten artist's proofs numbered in Roman numerals. The set of lithographs is Gurlitt no. 72 in the catalogue which erroneously gives the date of 1971 for the suite. The black-and-white 1971 catalogue illustrations as well as this eBay listing both support the 1970 date.
Ronald Searle,Meilleurs Voeux, 1970, 106/200, Gurlitt (1971) No. 72 (5)
Ronald Searle,Meilleurs Voeux, 1970, 106/200, Gurlitt (1971) No. 72 (5)
Ronald Searle,Meilleurs Voeux, 1970, 106/200, Gurlitt (1971) No. 72 (5)
Note: All the animators' original artwork and other items up for bidding on eBay to raise funds for the "Searle in America" exhibition can be viewedhere.
Animator Eric Goldberg conceived the Genie in Disney's "Aladdin" (1992) in the style of illustrator Al Hirschfeld. Hirschfeld's lines are typically flowing and smooth and this style blended well with Genie's many transformations. A few original drawings of the Genie by Supervising Animator Eric Goldberg are currently available on eBay. Two of them are left-facing profiles with different expressions. The first appears somewhat devious.
Eric Goldberg, Genie in Profile from Disney's "Aladdin"
Eric Goldberg is one of many animators who contributed work inspired by Searle to a fundraiser for the forthcoming "Searle in America" exhibition to be held later this year at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. How extraordinary, then, to discover this large pen-and-ink drawing of the Genie After "Aladdin..." executed in the style of Ronald Searle. Compared with the simple souvenir profiles of the Genie, it is a tour-de-force. Compared with the flowing lines of Hirschfeld, the lines are nervous and bold. So far, the price is quite reasonable. I don't know whether drawings of this caliber by Goldberg have appeared on the market in the past, but this is clearly a remarkable illustration of a sort not likely ever to be repeated.
It is a paradox that animators spend their days drawing, yet very little of their work comes to the market. The current eBay "Searle in America" sales offer the opportunity to bid on the finished work of dozens of today's foremost animators. It's my distinct impression that cartoonists inspired by Searle invariably create some of their best work.
Eric Goldberg,After "Aladdin..." in the manner of Ronald Searle
August 13, 2014 Update: Actor Robin Williams, the voice of the Genie in Disney's "Aladdin," died Monday at age 63, a suicide. I saw him once in the spring of 2009 having dinner in a New York City restaurant. He was seated with perhaps seven others. Throughout the meal he was calm and reserved, a striking contrast with his antic public persona. Note: The eBay auction for Eric Goldberg'sAfter "Aladdin..." is here.
All the items up for bidding to raise funds for the "Searle in America" exhibition can be seenhere.
I have no idea how many cartoonists sign glossy photos of themselves just as any celebrity would, although I suspect not all that many. Ronald Searle certainly was a celebrity by any definition, but even for him it must have been a little unusual to sign this modern print of a vintage photo some 55 years after the fact. It's hard to determine its individual worth, as it was sold with a small, uncommon volume in German as well. The book illustrations provided by Searle seem to be reused from other sources. Still, the entire package seems like a reasonable deal to me.
Ronald Searle Signed Photograph
The back of the photo paper. Clearly, this is not a vintage photograph.
Ronald Searle Signature, January 2011
Oscar Wilde, Elisabeth Schnack, translator, and Ronald Searle, illustrator. Kleiner Seitensprung (Zurich, 1954) Cover
Oscar Wilde, Elisabeth Schnack, translator, and Ronald Searle, illustrator. Kleiner Seitensprung (Zurich, 1954)
Oscar Wilde, Elisabeth Schnack, translator, and Ronald Searle, illustrator. Kleiner Seitensprung (Zurich, 1954)
Ronald Searle,"I'll just die and then you'll be sorry." [1947 or earlier],Oscar Wilde, Elisabeth Schnack, translator, and Ronald Searle, illustrator. Kleiner Seitensprung (Zurich, 1954)
Note: Searle's work is still important to illustrators, but today much effort to promote his legacy is coming from the animation community. Storyboard artist Matt Jones, who curates Perpetua, the Ronald Searle tribute blog, has organized an exhibition of Searle's American reportage work. "Searle in America" will take place in San Francisco in the fall. Some 75 members of the animation community have contributed original works inspired by the master in order to raise money to ship artwork to the West Coast and produce a catalogue. The sale is currently under way on eBay.
The eBay sale of works inspired by Ronald Searle to support "Searle in America" can be found here. Perpetua, the Ronald Searle tribute blog, is right here.
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