Tag Archives: Hugh Joseph Ward

Works by Patrick Nagel led Heritage Auctions’ Original Illustration Art sale, October 14, 2017

Posted on by
Reply

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. Now that the weather is colder, I have gone back to publishing twice weekly, as often as possible.

Patrick Nagel painting, Bold, Heritage lot #71116

Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas, held their Original Illustration Art sale on October 14, 2017, with total sales of $1,098,328. An acrylic on canvas work by Patrick Nagel entitled Bold led the sale with a $200,000 result. Personally I don’t understand it, but guess what? The bidders didn’t ask me and didn’t care what I thought. I wouldn’t have bought it at any price.

Hugh Joseph Ward illustration, Heritage lot #71171

I would love to have bought lot #71171. It was a wonderful cover illustration by Hugh Joseph Ward entitled Undercover Man for the April, 1942 edition of Detective magazine. It sold for $81,250, including buyer’s premium — the second best result of the sale.

Gil Elvgren 1968 calendar illustration, Swingin’ Sweetie, Heritage lot #71047

Works by Gil Elvgren frequently led previous Heritage’s Illustration sales, but not this time. It appears that prices for Elvgren’s works have been heading lower after peaking several years ago. The top Elvgren lot of the sale, #71047, a 1968 calendar illustration for Brown & Bigelow entitled Swingin’ Sweetie sold for $32,000, good for the fifth best result of the sale.

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

No more shows until February 2, 2018, when we’ll exhibit at the Miami Airport show. That gives us time to beat the bushes to find new treasures and take some time to smell the figurative roses. November is usually a good month for business. Then business dies in December because most people are looking for less expensive Christmas gifts than we offer. Occasionally we make a Christmas sale, but that’s the exception, not the rule. Cold weather and the New Year bring a new wave of enthusiasm.

I will update my site 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.

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

Posted on by
Reply

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.