Bidding Frenzy at Heritage Auctions Drives Margaret Brundage Pulp Cover Art to New Artist Record
Dallas, TX - Patrick Nagel’s Nude on Back with Black Stockings, 1983 soared beyond pre-auction estimates, selling for $106,250, and two new artist records were set in Heritage Auctions’ Illustration Art Auction April 24 in Dallas.
The acrylic on canvas, which is signed and dated by the artist, was the top lot in the event that brought in a total of $1,429,429.25 for the sale of 449 lots. The price paid for the auction’s top lot is the 10th-best ever paid for a Nagel work at Heritage Auctions, which now has sold 12 works by the artist for six-figure returns.
“Patrick Nagel’s artwork has been extremely popular with collectors for decades, and the prices for his works have really taken off in recent years because of the increasing demand,” Heritage Auctions Senior Vice President for Fine & Decorative Arts Ed Jaster said. “More and more collectors are turning to Heritage Auctions for hard-to-find artwork from the beak of popular culture, and Patrick Nagel’s artwork is one of the major reasons behind that trend.”
Alberto Vargas Martini Time, 1935 nearly tripled its low pre-auction estimate when competitive bidding drove its result to $87,500, the fifth-highest amount paid through Heritage Auctions for a Vargas painting. The auction included 11 Vargas works - four originals and seven prints; each of the four originals yielded at least $15,000.
Margaret Brundage’s A Rival from the Grave, Weird Tales magazine cover, January 1936, which came from the estate of John McLaughlin, sparked a flurry of bids before finishing at $71,875, a new auction record for the artist. The cover scene for Seabury Quinn’s A Rival from the Grave is perhaps the most well-known image from the artist, whose iconic Weird Tales covers are extremely rare.
The second work in the auction from Nagel, Joanna, brought $68,750. The image of former actress Joanna Cassidy is one of the most popular by the artist who was known for balancing erotic, evocative images with unwavering respect for women.
Multiple collectors bid on Gil Elvgren Perfection, 1948 until it realized $57,500. Considered one of the most important pin-up artists of the 20th century, Elvgren combined his pin-up painting with images for advertising images, preferring the “girl next door” type over traditional models. This painting also was reproduced as figure 163 in Gil Elvgren All His Glamorous American Pin-Ups, by Charles G. Martignette and Louis K. Meisel (Taschen, 1999).
Nearly two dozen bidders drove Boris Vallejo Mysterious Rider, The New St. Marks Baths advertisement, 1978 to a final price of $40,000, which topped the high pre-auction estimate by 700 percent and established a new record for any Vallejo work sold at auction. This image was famously used in 1980s advertisements for The New St. Marks Baths, in St. Marks Place in New York City.
Other top lots included, but were not limited to:
· Alberto Vargas Nude with Phone (Jeanne Dean), 1946: $27,500
· Gil Elvgren Girl on Bicycle, NAPA Auto Parts advertisement, circa 1975: $25,848.75
· American Artist Kelly's Heroes, movie poster, 1970: $25,000
· Drew Struzan Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, poster study, 1989: $25,000
