Heritage Auctions of Dallas, TX, held an Illustration Art Auction on August 17-18, 2010, with mixed results. Prices were strong for the best known artists and fairly weak for lesser known artists.
HUGH JOSEPH WARD, The Evil Flame, Spicy Mystery Stories pulp cover, August, 1936, Heritage lot 78330, 8/17/2010
The top lot of the sale was #78330, a wonderful pulp fiction oil on canvas illustration by Hugh Joseph Ward, for the cover of Spicy Mystery Stories in August 1936, entitled
The Evil Flame. It nearly tripled its pre-sale estimate of $30-50,000, realizing $143,400.
Gil Elvgren, A Fast Takeoff (A Speedy Takeoff), 1954, Heritage lot 78097, August 17, 2010
Gil Elvgren was well represented in the sale, with superb results for many of the thirteen items. Prices ranged from $1,314.50 for a portrait of a dog to $95,600 for a painting of a sexy woman in a motorboat (lot 78097). Five of the thirteen paintings of beautiful, sexy women sold in the $47,800 – $95,600 price range.
ALBERTO VARGAS. Varga Girl, Esquire calendar illustration, February 1946. Watercolor on board. Heritage lot 78321, August 17, 2010
Another big name in American illustration is Alberto Vargas. Six original paintings were offered, with results from $10,157.50 – $77,675. The top Vargas lot was #78321, a watercolor on board Esquire calendar illustration of a Varga Girl, February, 1946. It sold for $77,675, against a pre-sale estimate of $20-30,000, 2½ times the high estimate.
There were also bargains to be had. Almost half of all the lots offered (352 out of 723) sold for less than $1,000.
For the complete results, you will have to register (free) with Heritage. You can view all of the paintings without results if you don’t register. Here is the link. Results for the Heritage Illustration Art auction, August 17-18, 2010.
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Please send me your comments or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer you in a future blog.