Original Art At Auction, Part 2

 

As mentioned in the previous post, there were three more pieces of original artwork offered at The Edward Gorey Cocktail Party; or, A Nocturne At The Strand fundraiser's silent auction on August 9th.

Gentleman on Ottoman represents the earliest drawing offered at the auction. A beautifully executed finished pen and ink drawing, this piece was created in the very early 1950's, around the time of Edward Gorey's first published work, The Unstrung Harp. Not intended for a specific project, this piece nonetheless shows the delicate dexterity of Mr. Gorey's line work and attention to detail. Holding a drink in his left hand, the gentleman is intently studying a piece of paper on the floor. While Edward Gorey's figures can be stiffly posed, this gentleman elegantly displays the intensity of his concentration through his expressive body language. Even the way he holds the cocktail suggests a pause of unexpected inquiry as if the paper suddenly appeared at his feet. This piece sold for $4000.00.

Jumping ahead about 25 years, Edward Gorey created Valse degueulasse (repugnant waltz) in 1976 for his book The Broken Spoke. This image makes a tongue-in-cheek reference to an earlier work by Mr. Gorey, The Epiplectic Bicycle (1969) in which both the alligator and bicycle were featured characters. This drawing is an exceptional example of Edward Gorey's mastery of delicate line work and the use of blank space within a drawing. This piece sold for $4500.00.

Four Men in Fur Coats was created in 1985 for a book project that was not completed. The gentlemen pictured are reminiscent of the similarly adorned characters from Edward Gorey's 1982 book The Water Flowers. The elaborate winter garments worn by the men are beautifully rendered in this pen & ink drawing. As mentioned in a previous post, this drawing was created at a time when Edward Gorey was ceasing to wear fur coats himself, but could still indulge in over the top (and politically incorrect) period fashion in his art. This piece sold for $7250.00.

The photo of the silent auction display case courtesy Russell Lehrer. Images of original art courtesy The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust.

 

Original Art At Auction, Part 1

Much anticipated, The Edward Gorey Cocktail Party; or, A Nocturne At The Strand fundraiser hosted by the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust on August 9th was a great success. The items sold at the silent auction to help raise funds for the Trust's mission are now in the collections of the winning bidders. 

In addition to the posters, prints, and personal jewelry items, seven original drawings were included in the auction, and special recognition should be given to Trust archivist Will Baker for curating a spectacular collection of pieces for the event's silent auction. The original art included works that represented the breadth of Edward Gorey's oeuvre from the beginning of his career through the mid 1990's.

With loose pen strokes, Cat on a mantle. shows Mr. Gorey's skill at capturing the essence of an image swiftly and with style. Rendered on the back of a sheet of his printed note paper, this portrait of a cat was obviously quickly executed yet is precise and no lines are extraneous. This drawing sold for $3600.00.
 

A preliminary artwork rather than a sketch, Mysteries offers insights into how Edward Gorey organized his ideas when designing a poster and/or book cover (this project does not appear to have been fully realized). Even though the style appears loose, this image was carefully and deliberately planned out. Mr. Gorey's color preliminary drawings are usually executed as expressive watercolor paintings even when the final piece would rely heavily on finely drawn pen and ink with color accenting. The penciled grid, while not unheard of, was employed infrequently by the artist. The grid would provide accurate measurements to aid Mr. Gorey in recreating the image in the final work. The purple infill around the vignettes lends an atmospheric sense of drama to the art. This piece sold for $4000.00.

Drat! was a poster design created in 1997 for a theatrical evening of stories by Edward Gorey at the Cape Rep Theatre. The image is executed with an economy of line, deft craftsmanship. and humor. The letters appear one inside the other, tunnel fashion with the letter D acting as the mouth of the tunnel. An expired bug rests atop of the D. The dramatic simplicity of the design compels the viewer to exclaim "Drat!" out loud. This piece sold for $1700.00.

Another piece that uses lettering as image in a totally different style is Q.R.V. 1-12. This piece was drawn in 1985 and is dated on the back, indicating that it was intended to be part of an A Collection work.  Q.R.V. became a major theme for Edward Gorey through the years as the enigmatic letters appeared with increasing frequency in his writings, illustrations and stage designs. The "1 - 12" notation on the scroll acts as a subtitle, indicating that this was most likely intended as the cover image for the (unfinished) work. The dimensions and crop marks suggest that this was to be a postcard project, a favorite format of Mr. Gorey's. This piece sold for $2650.00.

The three other pieces of original art from the auction will be discussed in a future post. 

The photo of the silent auction display case courtesy Russell Lehrer. Images of original art courtesy The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust.

 

Gorey Fundraising Event Auction News

On Wednesday August 9th, The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust hosted a cocktail party fundraiser at the Strand Bookstore in New York City. The event was attended by over 100 Goreyphiles who imbibed themed cocktails and snacked on hors d'oeuvres while viewing displays of rare Gorey material from collector Russell Lehrer's extensive Edward Gorey collection. EGCT Trustee Eric Sherman welcomed the assembled party goers and talked about the focus of the Trust and the charitable works the Trust is involved with. Mr. Lehrer gave a short talk and was available throughout evening to share insights into his collection.

A much anticipated feature of the event was the silent auction. The twenty items auctioned included signed posters, prints, original artwork and a selection of Edward Gorey's personal jewelry items. Live bidding was available to all those in attendance and remote bidders could also participate (preregistration with a fee was required).

With a final bid of $4100.00, Mr. Gorey's unusual brass finger ring was much sought after.

The top item at the auction was a piece of original artwork showing four men in fur coats with top hats in front of river with ice floes in the background. This exceptional piece is dated 4.x.85-5.x.85 (October 4-5, 1985) on the reverse and was intended for a book that was never completed. This beautifully rendered pen and ink drawing was created at a time when Edward Gorey was ceasing to wear fur coats himself, but could still indulge in over the top fashion in his art. This exceptional piece sold for $7250.00

The event concluded by raising over $40,000.00 for the Trust. 

(Photos from the event courtesy Russell Lehrer. Photos of auction items courtesy The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust)