Saturday, October 29, 2011

Morticia Addams in the Times

Here's an unusual drawing by Charles Addams dating from 1969. It's a rendering in marker of  Morticia on a photostat of the front page of the New York Times. It's an oddity, but a rather becoming one. The original artwork is available from Taraba Illustration Art, LLC.

Artist: Charles Addams (1912-1988)
Description: Standing Morticia.
Caption: none
Publication information: Presentation or souvenir drawing, so not published
Medium: Marker on photostatic reproduction of New York Times page
Size: 11.5 x 7.75” (mat opening 14 x 10.5”)
Signature: signed and dated lower right. Inscribed: “For Kay and Bill”
Condition: Very good though other inscriptions on the sheet have faded, matted and framed.
Comment: First things first... This is as seductive a Morticia as you'll ever see... it's her stance, the facial expression and the execution that elevate this beyond many of the souvenir drawings that Addams did for fans, acquaintances and the like. That said, it's a bit of an odd piece and as best as I can reconstruct the circumstances... I figure that it's most likely something that was given as a gift to someone working at The Times, perhaps a full-sized photostat of the newspaper page was made for an employee on the date of their retirement. That would provide an explanation for the other signatures that have been trimmed... Addams' drawing was what the original recipient wanted to frame and put on the wall; other sentiments became rather beside the point. Now it can go on your wall. 


March 11, 2012 Update:  The price has been reduced to $2,100.



October 18, 2012 Update: The price has been reduced to $1,875.


Note:  My previous post on Morticia Addams is here.

0126

No comments:

Post a Comment