Patrick Nagel and Gil Elvgren led Heritage Auction’s Illustration Art sale, May 12, 2017

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Philip Chasen

Heritage Auction held its Illustration Art sale on May 12, 2017, with some superb results. Three works by Patrick Nagel and seven works by Gil Elvgren led the sale.

Patrick Nagel Seductive Female in Profile, Heritage lot #71136

Leading the sale was lot #71136, a large (48″ x 40″) Patrick Nagel acrylic on canvas painting entitled Seductive Female in Profile. It realized $125,000, including buyer’s premium, against a pre-sale estimate of $60,000 – $80,000.

Gil Elvgren Fire Belle (Always Ready), Heritage lot #71071

The second highest price of $112,500 was achieved by a Gil Elvgren painting entitled Fire Belle (Always Ready) from 1956. It sold below its low estimate of $100,000 (without buyer’s premium). The seller took a bath as he paid $191,200 in October, 2011, in another Heritage Illustration Art sale.

Hy Hintermeister Rocket Pad Keep Out, Heritage lot #71097

Nagel and Elvgren dominated the top four spots, with Hy Hintermeister in 5th place, with a lovely painting Rocket Pad Keep Out selling for $37,500, against a pre-sale estimate of $8,000 – $12,000.

For the complete results of the sale, click here. You will have to sign in (free) for the results.

Our next show is the Denver World Wide Antique Show in mid-July, so we’ll take some time to smell the roses. I’ll be buying and selling in the meantime, so be in touch if you’re doing either.

I recently listed some new items on my website and I’ll be listing more in the near future. Please check my site as often as you can.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I will update it as often as time permits. We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

J.C. Leyendecker leads Heritage’s Illustration Art Auction, April 11-12, 2013

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Philip Chasen

Heritage Auction held an Illustration Art Auction on April 11-12, 2013, with some exceptional results. 859 lots were offered, with sales totaling $2,852,875.

J.C. Leyendecker painting Honeymoon, July 17, 1926, Heritage lot #78299

Top lot of the auction was one of the two cover lots, #78299, Honeymoon, a Saturday Evening Post cover from July 17, 1926. It easily exceeded its high estimate of $120,000, to sell for $194,500, including buyer’s premium.

Patrick Nagel painting, Her Seductive Look, Heritage lot #78153

I understand why the Leyendecker was the top lot of the sale, but I don’t understand why a fairly modern, and not so special (in my opinion) painting by Patrick Nagel, should sell for $158,500. Entitled Her Seductive Look, the pre-sale estimate was $20,000 – $30,000. Personally I wouldn’t have paid $5,000, but my opinion didn’t matter. What mattered was that two wealthy, determined bidders butted heads and bid the price into the stratosphere. Congratulations to the lucky consignor.

Gil Elvgren painting A Near Miss (Right on Target), Heritage lot #78081

Gil Elvgren paintings were well-represented in the sale, so it was no surprise that the third highest lot was his. Lot #78081 was entitled A Near Miss (Right On Target). The final price of $104,500 easily exceeded the high estimate of $75,000. Other Elvgren paintings did well too, with lot #78080, Let’s Go Around Together, selling for $101,500.

For the complete results of the sale, click here. You will have to sign in to see the prices.

No shows until late July, but we’re still very much in business. Please don’t hesitate to call or write. We’re always interested in buying, selling or trading.

Fine Argy-Rousseau pate-de-verre moth paperweight, for sale at the show

Click here to view French cameo glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

Wonderful Tiffany Favrile blue decorated mini vase, for sale at the show

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and etchings by Louis Icart. Here’s the link. Philip Chasen Antiques.

Gil Elvgren leads Heritage Auction’s Illustration Art auction, June, 2012

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Philip Chasen

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday. This week we’ll go hiking and white water rafting before our shows in the greater LA area, so there won’t be a Thursday post.

Heritage Auction held their Illustration Art auctions June 27-28, 2012, proving that Gil Elvgren is still King of the Hill. Heritage sold seven works by Elvgren that ranged in price from $11,875 to $176,500, for an average of $82,036, far surpassing the results for any other artist in the sale. Of course there are other illustration artists that can sell for more, like Norman Rockwell, but they weren’t represented in the sale. Besides, Elvgren is noted for pinup art, whereas the other big shots are not.

Gil Elvgren, Skirting the Issue (Breezing Up), Heritage lot #78139

Lot #78139 was an Elvgren painting titled Skirting the Issue (Breezing Up), from 1956. It took the prize for top lot, selling for $176,500, against a pre-sale estimate of $30,000 – $50,000.

Al Buell painting, Brunette Pin-Up, Heritage lot #78110

After Elvgren, second prize, (really 7th prize after six Elvgrens) went to Al Buell. His painting, Brunette Pin-Up, circa 1940, sold for $32,500, against a pre-sale estimate of $1,000 – $2,000 — truly an impressive result. The most a Buell painting has sold for in recent Heritage auctions was $10,000 in March of 2012, so this was quite a jump. Let’s see over the next few auctions if a new level has been set for Buell, or this result was just a fluke.

Hy Hintermeister painting, The Last Word, Heritage lot #78314

One of my favorite artists, Hy Hintermeister, sold very reasonably. Lot #78314, The Last Word, sold for $4,062.50, against a pre-sale estimate of $3,000 – $5,000. A similar painting, Hold Everything, sold for $20,000 in Heritage’s March, 2012 Illustration Art auction.

For the complete results of the sale, click on the following link. Heritage’s Illustration Art results. You’ll have to sign in to view the prices.

We’ll be exhibiting at a show at the end of next week in Redondo Beach, CA, July 27-29. Please come and visit us and show support by considering purchasing something. This will be our last time exhibiting in the greater LA area if we don’t sell enough to make it worth our while.

In the meantime, we’re still very much in business. Don’t hesitate to call or write, and let us know what you’d like to buy, sell, or trade.

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Come visit us in Redondo Beach, July 27-29

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Just recently, I added about 15 new items. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Gil Elvgren leads again at Heritage Illustration Art Signature Auction in Beverly Hills, CA, March 1-2, 2012

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Philip Chasen

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday. Thursday’s post will be about some very good French cameo glass sales at a recent auction.

Heritage Auctions held a successful auction of Illustration Art in Beverly Hills, CA, on March 1st and 2nd, 2012. Total sales exceeded $3,000,000, with a sell-through rate of 98%.

Gil Elvgren, Vision of Beauty (Unveiling), Heritage lot #78117

Top lot of the sale was #78117, an oil on canvas illustration by Gil Elvgren, entitled Vision of Beauty (Unveiling), from 1947. It sold for $140,500, against a pre-sale estimate of $50,000 – $75,000 — almost double the high estimate. Fourteen works by Elvgren were offered, with eleven of them pin-up paintings. Six of those sold for over $50,000, raising the average selling price for Elvgren to $55,915 — far and away the best for any artist in the sale.

Cover illustration for Spicy Adventure Stories by Hugh Joseph Ward, 1937, Heritage lot #78321

The highest price paid for a non-Elvgren painting was $62,500, for a 1937 oil on canvas cover illustration for Spicy Adventure Stories by Hugh Joseph Ward. The selling price was almost double the high estimate of $35,000.

Dean Cornwell painting On Target- Let's Finish the Job, Heritage lot #78075

A Body by Fisher/General Motors oil on canvas advertisement by Dean Cornwell, from 1945, entitled On Target- Let’s Finish the Job, did very well. It quadrupled its high estimate of $9,000 to sell for $37,500.

Dean Cornwell study, Raleigh Receiving the Charter, Heritage lot #78592

At the other end of the sale, prices started as low as $28 for a portrait of Mrs. Brunner, circa 1950, by Frederick Sands Brunner. In fact, there were 48 items that sold for $100 or less. You could even buy an original work by an important artist like Dean Cornwell, Raleigh Receiving the Charter, for $687.50. Granted it was small — 10½” x 6½”, a pen and watercolor on paper study, and unsigned, but it was still a bargain.

For the complete results of the auction, click on the following link. Heritage Illustration auction results.

Our next show is coming very soon — the Pier Show in New York City on the weekend of March 17th and 18th. You don’t have a lot of time, so plan your trip now. Make it a business/pleasure trip and have a great time in the Big Apple!

In the meantime, we’re still in business, so don’t be bashful. Call or write!
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Fine Tiffany Studios millifiori vase

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Mixed, but improved results at Heritage Illustration Art Auction, Oct 14, 2010

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Philip Chasen

Gil Elvgren painting, Riding High, from 1958, Heritage lot #78043

Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, Texas, held their first auction in New York City on Oct 14, 2010. The Illustration Art sale did well with art from the top artists, decently with art from the second-tier artists, and poorly with art from the third-tier artists. The auction was the second highest-grossing sale ever for the Illustration Art category, totaling over $3.75 million.

Top lot of the sale was #78043, a Gil Elvgren painting of a witch on a broom. Estimated to sell for $30,000 – $40,000, it soared to $167,300, including buyer’s premium. Prices for Elvgren’s seven offerings in this sale were all over the map, from $4,481.25 for a pencil on paper sketch of Miss Sylvania to $38,837.50 for a painting of Miss Sylvania to $167,300 for the top lot of the sale, above.

Garth Montgomery Williams, Charlotte's Web book cover from 1952. Heritage lot #78301

Original art from the 1952 children’s book, Charlotte’s Web, did extraordinarily well. The cover illustration, done in graphite and ink on paper, was the second highest lot of the sale, selling for $155,350, against a pre-sale estimate of $20,000 – $30,000. Individual illustrations from the book also did well, with prices from as low as $717, all the way up to $95,600, with an average price of about $10,000.

Several other artists commanded more than $60,000, including J.C. Leyendecker, Thornton Utz, Jesse Wilcox Smith, Howard Pyle and Norman Rockwell.

Packard Motor Car Company advertisement, Heritage lot #78422

As in the past, there were plenty of bargains to be had. Including the next day’s Internet only session in Dallas, over 180 lots sold for less than $1,000. A beautiful large 30″ x 46″ oil on canvas painting of a Packard automobile sold for only $896.25. If that’s not a bargain, I don’t know what is.

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. Heritage Illustration Art auction, August 17-18, 2010.

If you like my blog, please let your friends know by sending them a link. Then check out my new Daum, Gallé and R. Lalique acquisitions. I’ve listed them all on my website. I’ve listed another ten items in the last couple of days, including art pottery. Here’s the link chasenantiques.com

Mixed results at Heritage’s Illustration Art Auction, August 17-18, 2010

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Philip Chasen

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.

I recently added over 10 Galle vases to my website, 7 Tiffany lamps, 1 Grueby vase, 1 Newcomb vase, Daum Nancy glass and a fabulous Burgun & Schverer internally decorated vase. This coming week, I’ll be adding many new items. Please take a look. Click on this link chasenantiques.com.

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.

The Charles Martignette collection of American Illustration Art, part II

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Philip Chasen

I’ve previously written about the Charles Martignette collection of American Illustration Art, but I’m writing again because this time I’m giving you advance notice of an upcoming auction, being held by Heritage Galleries on Oct 27, 2009, where you will have the opportunity to buy paintings from his collection. Charles had accumulated one of the best American illustration art collections in the world before his untimely death in February, 2008.

Norman Rockwell, Heritage lot #96253

Norman Rockwell will be represented with several lots. Rockwell has sold for over a million dollars for some of his famous magazine cover illustrations, but this colored pencil on board from 1955, for Scott Tissue, is estimated to sell for $8,000 – $12,000.

Howard Chandler Christy, Heritage #96058

Howard Chandler Christy, Heritage lot #96058

Howard Chandler Christy is another fabulous artist who will be well represented at the sale with several lots, including a stupendous oil on canvas of several nudes, entitled In the Garden of Eden, dated 1925. This very large painting, 28″ x 71″, has a pre-sale estimate of $40,000 – $60,000.

Cafe des Artistes, showing several Howard Chandler Christy paintings

Christy painted all of the paintings that decorated the interior of Cafe des Artistes, a quintessentially New York restaurant and a wonderful place for Sunday brunch. Unfortunately the restaurant closed this past summer and has since filed for bankruptcy. Hopefully the paintings will still be available for viewing at some point in the future.

The Heritage sale has many other paintings with lower estimates, but I suspect that the actual selling prices will be significantly higher. Remember what I’ve repeated in many of my blog entries — auctions always do well with fresh to the market items priced below fair value. I’ll write about the sale after it’s over and we’ll see if I’m right about my prediction. If you’re interested, here’s the link to the auction. Heritage Signature Illustration Art Auction #7016.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com

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Tag Archives: American illustration art