An original New Yorker cartoon by Bruce Eric Kaplan was sold at Heritage Auctions on February 6. It comes from the estate of Irvin Grief, Jr., and is the first work of BEK's to be offered by the auction house.
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| Herb got in touch with his inner monkey Bruce Eric Kaplan Original art The New Yorker, February 3, 1992, p. 70 |
The cartoon purports to relate the story of Herb's enlightenment. Of course, it is just plain silly. Or, if you prefer, bananas.
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| Herb got in touch with his inner monkey Bruce Eric Kaplan Framed, original art The New Yorker, February 3, 1992, p. 70 |
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| Paper backing |
Twenty days prior to the auction, bidding had scarecely begun.
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Bruce Eric Kaplan Heritage Auctions listing of February 6, 2026, accessed on January 17, 2026 |
Heritage identified the correct issue of The New Yorker in which this drawing appeared but it was on page 70, not page 41. Was Herb's inner monkey helping with the research?
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Sold!
The artist's signature, BEK, has been largely obliterated in the original. There may have been a patch over it when it was photographed for the magazine. The banner was rewritten and had a period in the published version. It is a sentence, after all.
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| Bruce Eric Kaplan Heritage Auctions listing of February 6, 2026 |
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| Herb got in touch with his inner monkey. Bruce Eric Kaplan The New Yorker, February 3, 1992, p. 70 |
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| Herb got in touch with his inner monkey Bruce Eric Kaplan Original art The New Yorker, February 3, 1992, p. 70 |
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| With a cartoon by Bruce Eric Kaplan |
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