Final Auction Price
*Final prices include buyers premium
$1,200.00
Starting bid: $1.00
This special lot contains a piece of ORIGINAL ART produced by the late great master Rick Griffin. The opportunity to acquire a one of a kind drawing created by the famous & beloved artist is something we consider an important PAE auction event!
As a young man in the early 1960's Griffin's two favorite past times were surfing and drawing cartoons. One of Griffin's first artistic projects was creating his famous "Murphy" comic strip for Surfer magazine in 1961. Murphy would appear on the cover of Surfer the following year and Griffin's artwork would continue to be part of the publication's issues through 1964. We believe this ink drawing was produced circa 1964 based on the comparisons to Griffin's work from that period.
This work of art is also interesting because the bearded character with the eye patch is none other than the artist's portrayal of HIMSELF in the scene! Griffin grew a beard after he was involved in a car accident which damaged his eye and left scars on his face so he began drawing his likeness character with a beard and eye patch during this time. This drawing is black ink & light blue pencil note "Contest... What Contest?" along the bottom (with red ink artist notes on the right margin) on white paper.
In recent years we have witnessed a huge increase in demand for Griffin Original Art by collectors worldwide. The reason is simple. In most cases artwork like this does not make it outside the artist’s circle of immediate family or personal possessions. So when something like this DOES surface its uniqueness and desirability is quickly perceived by collectors. This piece belonged to the artist and was subsequently acquired by a known collector of Griffin’s work. A unique treasure in its own rite this piece of original art is ONE OF A KIND and cannot be owned again until the winner of this lot decides to part with it for whatever the market will bear.
Estimate - Original Artwork like this is literally priceless in that there is no price. That being said similar original artwork like this that has previously appeared in our auction routinely commands several thousand dollars. The collectibles world will be watching to see what value the market attaches to this VERY SPECIAL piece at this moment in time.
Artwork – Griffin Pen & Ink Drawing
Grade – PAE Not Graded
Date – Circa 1964
Dimensions – 8 1/16" x 10 3/8"
Printing – Original Artwork
Artist – Rick Griffin
Condition Details – This original art is not graded. 100% Original with no restoration. View the detailed high res photo of this lot. Click on the thumbnail photo to see an enlarged photo. Click a second time on the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of the enlarged photo. A super high res image with every millimeter will now be clearly displayed. For a personalized eyewitness examination call 410-464-6180 11:00 am to 6:00pm eastern.
*****This piece is available for inspection at our gallery by appointment. *****
*A 20% Buyers Premium will be added to the final hammer price of this lot.*
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