Illustration

Original Charlotte's Web Art Up For Auction

Does the image above take you right back to your childhood? Near-complete art from Charlotte's Web, all-time best-selling children's paperback will be sold in Heritage Auctions' October 15 event. More than 40 original illustrations from the classic children's book including the cover art from the estate of legendary illustrator Garth Williams, will be part of Heritage Auctions Illustration Art Auction, taking place at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion, 2 East 79th Street, New York City.

The auction marks the first major event for Heritage in the city since the September opening of Heritage Auctions New York City at 445 Park Avenue, where the cover art is currently on public display for passersby in the "Heritage Window on Park Avenue."

Tags: charlottes web, childrens books, heritage auctions, illustration

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Playboy To Sell Another Round Of Art

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Playboy had such success with an art auction last fall ($230,000 total for 17 pieces of art and illustration) that they are doing it again. The "Playboy - I Read It For The Art" auction will feature another 17 original drawings and illustrations from the magazine's archives. The auction will take place at Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas, Texas on March 12. Online bidding is also available. The auction features the a few glamorous Alberto Vargas pin-ups, a "Little Annie Fanny" comic strip by Harvey Kurtzman and Jack Davis, a pair of Patrick Nagel pieces and several from LeRoy Neiman. His "Surfing, Poche Beach, Man at His Leisure" shown above is acrylic on paper and has a minimum bid of $6,500.

The strategy of having a few small auctions versus one big blockbuster blow-out of the Playboy archives is an interesting one. As Blogging Stocks mentioned last month, Playboy Enterprises reported a loss of $145.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2008 and chairman Jerome Kern told investors on a conference call that the company is "willing to listen" to listen to sale or merger possibilities. These smaller auctions give the public a taste of what the magazine has in its coffers and raise a little money while still keeping the bulk of the archives, which may prove to be a key asset, safe.

Tags: art, auction, illustration, playboy

2006 Blackbird Vineyards "Illustration" Proprietary Red Wine

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Touted in Vanity Fair, Robb Report's 'Best of 2008' and Travel + Leisure GOLF, Blackbird Vineyard's merlot-dominated wines may be the key to elevating the often overlooked grape to a higher perception among red wine lovers. The vineyard placed in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley demonstrates this elevation particularly well through "Illustration", a proprietary red wine which is a blend of 86% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. This great wine has been characterized with cocoa powder and cherries on the nose and tasting of bright cherry cola, chocolate and juicy bing cherries...mmm...sounds delicious! A little piece of wine trivia for you too -- did you know that merlot in French Patois translates to little blackbird? I sure didn't. ($90)

[via Vinography]

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Tags: blackbird vineyards, BlackbirdVineyards, Illustration, Illustration wine, IllustrationWine, Michael-Polenske, Napa Valley wine, NapaValleyWine

Playboy's First Cartoon To Be Auctioned Off

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Some art you buy for its beauty, some art you buy for investment and some you buy for a certain sense of nostalgia. This one, the first illustration from the first Playboy magazine, definitely falls into the third category. The first Playboy cartoon in 1953 by Ben Denison, marks the start of a tradition that has gone on to include artists such as Eldon Dedini, Jules Feiffer, Shel Silverstein and Gahan Wilson, It is being auctioned off by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas on December 12. The gouache on illustration board measures approximately 11" x 8-1/2" and is estimated to sell for $12,000 - $18,000.

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Tags: art, cartoon, hugh hefner, illustration, playboy