Last month in Dallas, Texas, there was the most incredible auction of original vintage illustrations, which for me served as a delicious art exhibit, filled with pulp fiction cover dames, advertising babes, bunnies, cheesecake cuties and silver screen queens. Aside from the cool fact that all the iconic pin-ups featured were original paintings (not prints), another thing that astonished me, was the astrononomical prices that they sold for.
Of the hundreds of beauties on display, here are my favorites (as well as their winning bids) . . .
(Above): Dutch Treat Club Yearbook Illustration c.1952 by Bradshaw Crandell (Sold for $17,000!)
(L to R): Club Bunny from VIP Magazine c.1966 by Don Lewis ($4,500), Greta Garbo (for a movie magazine) c.1930s by Charles Gates Sheldon ($2,600), Pin-Up in Fur pastel c.1940s by Guy Hoff ($900)
(Yowza!) Nude oil by Gil Elvgren c.1950s ($15,000)
Mens shoe illustration for Playboy c..1960s by Robert Peak ($1,200), Black Stockings by Alberto Vargas c.1930s ($28,000)
Vogue magazine cover c.1980s ($950), Clara Bow c.1930s by Charles Gates Sheldon ($4,000), portrait of Mae West for Screenland c.1933 by Charles Gates Sheldon ($2,200)
Carole Lombard for the cover of Motion Picture magazine c.1936 ($14,000) by Charles Gates Sheldon, The Gibson Girl c.late-1800s by Charles Dana Gibson ($7,500)
Drink Budweiser - America's Social Companion advertising die-cut c.1930s by Andrew Loomis ($6,500)
Pastel portrait of Mae West for movie magazine c.1930s by Henri Sabin ($140), pulp paperback cover for Tonight It's Me c.1957 by Lou Marchetti ($1,300), Clara Bow portrait for the Call Her Savage film poster c.1932 by Fox artist Alex Luders ($1,100)
Pulp paperback cover for Teacher's Pet c.1963 by Paul Rader ($9,000)
Go-Go Music watercolor c.1960s by George Guzzi ($325), Hippies on Motorcycle c.1960s by J. Asaro ($700)
Oooo, I love them all especially Teacher's Pet. The prices are truly insane though- $17,000! wow!
Posted by: laurakitty | March 13, 2010 at 12:47 PM