Attempted Bloggery

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Donald Duck to the Max

On Independence Day ten years ago, I posted a serigraph by Peter Max of the Statue of Liberty. The eBay seller had come to my attention after selling the original art to Ilonka Karasz's 1955 poison ivy cover for The New Yorker. I was perplexed that the 1994 Max serigraph had a 2005 copyright stamp on the verso. It could have been a listing error by the seller, I suppose, or a stamp that was added after the fact to

unsold inventory. Whatever the case, I was unable to resolve the issue which I noted on another Max serigraph from the same seller.

Of all the colors in which Max depicted Walt Disney's Donald Duck, the variant with the red beak is my least favorite. Like the Statue of Liberty print, it is numbered 18 in its respective series, here out of 500. It is also dated 1994 with a later 2005 copyright stamp. Like the other Max serigraph, the seller guaranteed its authenticity provided returns were made in 14 days.

Peter Max
eBay listing ended August 27, 2013

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Peter-Max-Disney-Donald-Duck-Serigraph-Limited-Edition-Hand-Signed-/140987205669?pt=UK_art_prints_GL&hash=item20d37e0825

Peter Max
eBay item description

Note: My thanks to David from Manhattan for suggesting the artist for today's post.

The eBay seller fast-fox-art of 2013 today goes by the name finefoxart. The seller has 100% positive feedback.

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Saturday, January 21, 2023

Peter Arno: Auction Postscript

After I bid unsuccessfully last week for two original works by New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno, Invaluable wrote to me to suggest other, similar works I might like to pursue. What do you suppose they came up with?

The algorithms recognize that someone interested in the work of Peter Arno may also be interested in work by Peter Max. It must be nice to be a programmer.

Note: This is reminiscent of what happened nearly a decade ago when I wrote a few posts about Walt Kelly's Pogo. See the aftermath of the algorithms we all live with here.

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Friday, January 20, 2023

Peter Arno: Two Pretty Sisters

Three pieces of original art by New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno (1904-1968) were auctioned by Hess Fine Art on Saturday. All three come from the estate of actress and socialite Nina Lunn Black (1924-2005). The first two are signed cartoons that were published in the pages of The New Yorker. The third is a crayon sketch entitled Les deux jolies soeurs, which anyone with high school French (or Google Translate) can tell you is Two Pretty Sisters. It is unsigned and unpublished, but demonstrates a sureness of hand consistent with Arno's.

"Partial letters visible at the left edge margin, our Gallerist believes this to be consistent with the artist[']s handwriting."

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/peter-arno-orig-cartoon-crayon-pencil-graphite-dr-1497-c-0ff43589d3?objectID=176759554&algIndex=upcoming_lots_prod&queryID=e48a68f94c471405a77df72280ee209d

Hess Fine Art's presale estimate was $400 to $4,000, with online bidding opening at $10.

The hammer price of $600 has to be rounded up to $750 with the premium.

The estate also had a 1955 portrait by Bradshaw Crandell of Nina Lunn Black, allowing us to visualize the woman who owned three original Arno works. For what it's worth, she had at least two sisters...

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/bradshaw-crandell-hollywood-actress-nina-lunn-bla-1467-c-9774dc6b97?objectID=176639710&algIndex=undefined&queryID=86923bcc445c44e01665726b7c7bc601

Note: I would like to hear from anyone who can provide additional evidence for this piece's authorship. Opinions are always welcome too.

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Thursday, January 19, 2023

Peter Arno: Night Club No-No

The young bombshell in Peter Arno's New Yorker cartoon original of April 22, 1939 just can't seem to enjoy a night on the town. Maybe she'll tell us why.

"If I could only stop thinking!"
Peter Arno
Original art
The New Yorker, April 22, 1939, p. 19

The artwork came up for sale in St. Petersburg on Saturday. Auctions give us the opportunity to look at some art that's been hidden away from public view for years, and to dream of being able to acquire it.

Detail

A thoughtful caption

Detail

Peter Arno's signature

Detail

Verso with New Yorker markings

Detail of verso

Verso with stamps

The auction before serious bidding got underway:

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/lg-peter-arno-orig-night-club-cartoon-ink-drawing-1438-c-2434660b51?objectID=176760365&algIndex=upcoming_lots_prod&queryID=e48a68f94c471405a77df72280ee209d

Just like the Arno cartoon of the colonel in his hunting trophy room, the presale estimate was $800 to $8,000 with online bidding starting at $10. As if.

The hammer price of $3,200 brought the total to $4,000 with the buyer's premium. It's a lot of money, but then it's a really fine cartoon.

Here's a little something the auction listing didn't show you:

"If I could only stop thinking!"
Peter Arno
Original art
The New Yorker, April 22, 1939, p. 19

A cartoon by Peter Arno and an illustration of Morris Bishop limericks by Richard Taylor

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1939-04-22/flipbook/018/

"Limericks Long After Lear"
By Morris Bishop
Illustrated by Richard Taylor

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Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Peter Arno: The Ethical Hunter

Peter Arno's original cartoon art for The New Yorker from 1937 depicts an unusual hunting trophy room. The art was sold on Saturday at auction. The cartoonist is having some fun with the notion of responsible hunting.