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Sarahjane's Picks
Sarahjane Blum | Director of Illustration Art
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There is a trick some illustrators manage of creating work that is instantly recognizable as of its time while still coming off as fresh decades after its creation. Nagel is one of these masters—though he defined the look and feel of the early Eighties, and his dramatic acrylic on canvas masterpiece Star is clearly a product of its moment, Nagel’s edgy, icy beauty remains shockingly original with her daring, geometric boldness.
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Subtle, detailed, patiently & lovingly created are among the words Greg & Tim Hildebrandt used to describe the award-winning artwork of Rowena in their forward to the 1997 book The Art of Rowena. We are lucky enough to be offering a selection of eight works directly from her estate in this auction, and it’s hard to choose just one to highlight here. So start by looking at her cover art for H.P. Lovecraft’s The Colour Out of Space, but then make sure to check out her work for other legends as diverse as Philip K. Dick and Anne McCaffrey.
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2025 marks 100 years since The New Yorker first hit newsstands, and it has become one of the most treasured standard-bearers for illustration and cartooning, in no small part due to its championing of artists such as Charles Addams. Golfer, the last New Yorker cover to appear during his lifetime, is one of the works that I have been most excited to share with people in person this auction season. The colors draw you in, and the loose confidence with which he uses watercolor to evoke the pond offers pure delight. New Yorker covers are among my favorite collecting subgenres in illustration, and it’s always exciting when one by Addams hits the market.
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Unusual among pin-up artists, Henry Clive created very few examples of calendar art. When he did—as in this rare and significant example—they featured his signature sophistication, and Hollywood glamour. The blonde flapper with a perfect bob seen here demanding all eyes on her as she wears a cape to the beach, and the deep saturated colors of the scene are Clive at his most evocative.
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Meagen's Picks
Meagen McMillan | Senior Consignment Director, Illustration Art
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There are several excellent examples of Maurice Sendak in this auction and normally I would highlight a work that might be overlooked or had a unique bit of art history. However, I must choose Imagination Celebration
. Arguably, the most lasting legacy of Sendak is his generous support of children’s creativity and education in the arts. I had this poster on my wall growing up. I "earned" it with reading points at a book fair and it held pride of place above my desk. I had no idea about its connection to the Kennedy Center or that the Imagination Celebration was an actual event. I thought we were just celebrating imagination—and through his support of key institutions of public life like the Kennedy Center and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (poster art for which is also featured in this sale), Sendak was doing just that. Let the Wild Rumpus Start!
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George Petty was the leading Pin-Up artist of the 1930s and was highly sought after. As you can see with this example, the artist often re-utilized his famed Petty Girls from Esquire magazine for his advertisement work—here blending the signature Petty Girl charm with Jantzen Knitting Mills sleek designs. Ironically, the caption from Esquire
for this Petty Girl was "I'm not posing for that account any longer. It seems I took the consumer's mind entirely off the product ." The work, and the following Alberto Vargas illustration comes from the estate of Mitchell Heinemann, Vice-President of Jantzen Knitting Mills. The executive purchased these works directly from the artists after they were utilized for Jantzen marketing – they have been treasured by the same family for over 70 years.
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Ronald Searle, known for his sharp wit and distinctive style, was sent to Palm Springs in 1963 to capture American Life. The wildness of which is on full display in The Plaza- Palm Springs. The artist captures the older generation with white hair, skinny legs, and rotund middles in direct comparison to the beautiful svelte woman in red who pulls all focus, including the eyes of an elder stately gentleman (most likely a nod to the artist’s "stuffy" British roots). The facial expressions and details are as numerous as they are humorous. Many works from this artist’s journey are included in the book Ronald Searle’s America
and the present work was featured in an exhibition at The Cartoon Museum in London. If you are looking for a Searle’s work that is complex and nuanced – this is it!
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Ezriel's Picks
Ezriel Wilson | Cataloguer, Illustration Art
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Frank Street’s Dancers sweep you through a convergence of his loose Impressionist stylings and his storytelling skill of the Pyle-Brandywine tradition. Formally trained under Harvey Dunn, Street wraps his image in an emotional atmosphere of color, texture, and loose brush work. Street’s figures, ghost-like in appearance, evoke a nostalgic pang—perhaps a story of past love or lovers stealing away for a secret dance. Throughout his career, Street contributed extensively to The Saturday Evening Post, as well as glossy publications such as Cosmopolitan, The Ladies' Home Journal, and Collier’s.
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Who doesn’t love an artist that can really do it all? American artist and illustrator Tom Lovell’s work always catches my eye with its ability to captivate viewers in riveting imagery that pulls you into the story wanting to know more. Lovell began as a freelance illustrator for pulp magazines while at Syracuse University. As his career grew, he went on to publish in many pulp and glossy magazines, becoming well known for his staggering realism in his illustrations and fine art alike. Tom Lovell’s oil on canvas Fates Kiss renders two figures in a slightly tilted plane of space captured in embrace in a limited color palette, often seen used for glossy publications like Collier’s or The Saturday Evening Post
. In the work, the injured male figure’s touch and gaze appear sympathetic while the female’s is softened with eyes almost closed. The composition leaves the viewer wondering what happened or is happening. A classic Lovell that leaves you captivated and wanting to know more. He does it again!
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Astrology in our sales always tends to catch my eye—Kristen Kest Pisces grabbed my attention not only with its strong Piscean symbolism chosen for this watery sign, but in her rich use of color. Kest’s work in oil on paper feels dreamlike with a vibrant blue gradient emulating the oceanic depths, complemented with rich touches of yellow and green hues of the swimming mermaid figures overlapped mirroring the symbol for Pisces as ethereal jellyfish swim around them. This work was for the month of March in the popular Llewelyn’s Astrological Calendar in 2013 and is a great addition for any astrology enthusiast!
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Victor Coleman Anderson’s Galusha the Magnificent for the May 1921 Pictorial Review depicts the amiable fictional character Galusha Bangs, a man with an affinity for archaeology and ancient cultures. A character both earnest and oddball, Galusha is thrust into comedic and endearing situations on his whimsical exploration of friendship and the absurdities of life. The soft yellow of the sky used in the background emphasizes the awe seen in Anderson’s central figure, perfectly described with the caption "He went to Egypt, and there found exactly what he had dreamed."
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Meagen McMillan
Senior Consignment Director, Illustration Art
MeagenM@HA.com
(214) 409-1546
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Ezriel Wilson
Cataloguer,
Illustration Art
EzrielW@HA.com
(214) 409-1112
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