World Records for Patrick Nagel, Robert McGinnis Smashed in Heritage Auctions' Illustration Art Auction
DALLAS, Texas - Important examples by Patrick Nagel and Robert McGinnis toppled world records in Heritage Auctions’ $1+ million Illustration Art Auction Oct. 13 in Dallas.
Nagel’s Bold, circa 1980s, sold for a staggering $200,000, shattering the previous record of $161,000 set by Heritage in 2014. McGinnis’ 2002 original DVD illustration art for Casino Royale set an artist auction record when it fetched $47,500, against a $15,000 estimate.
“This auction was rich with fresh-to-market quality material and collectors took advantage of the opportunity,” said Ed Jaster, Senior Vice President at Heritage Auctions. “We remain the No. 1 house for hard-to-source artworks from the peak of popular culture.”
Gritty illustrations from pulp magazines drew interest from multiple bidders who pushed the Hugh Joseph Ward’s 1942 original cover art titled Undercover Man from Private Detective magazine to $81,250. Ward’s cover art for Hollywood Detective magazine sold for $10,625.
Chesley Bonestell’s interior illustration titled Atomic Bombing of New York from Collier’smMagazine sold for $27,500 and Harry Anderson’s original art titled Gangway from a 1937 Cream of Wheat ad campaign hammered for $20,000.
Examples of classic American pin-up art generated intense interest as a second artwork by Nagel, titled Susan, 1982, sold for $47,500 and Gil Elvgren’s 1946 illustration titled We Had a Little Falling Out sold for $30,000. Back Bend on Toes Ballet, Ice Capades, 1962, by George Petty sold for $27,500 and a second from his Ice Capades series, titled Dutch Girl, 1948, ended at $9,373.
Additional highlights include:
We'll Feel Right at Home. The Travel Guide Says There are Bats in the Belfry, 1984, a Mobil Oil advertisement by Charles Samuel Adams, sold for $17,500
Impromptu Concert, 1950, a U.S. Brewers Foundation advertisement by John Gannam sold for $11,250.
America Give a Hand, To the Men of the Merchant Marine, the stunning original art for a classic propaganda poster, by Rockwell Kent sold for $10,625.
