Fakes!

 While we're on the subject of auctions don't fall for any of the pathetic fakes that continually crop up at "reputable" auction houses. This one just sold at Raffan Kelaher & Thomas in Australia "attributed to Ronald Searle".

This pathetic St. Trinians girl sold at another Australian auction house, Lawsons, for $600 AUD.

To the keen eye of a Searle enthusiast the weak, unstructured drawings betray their amateurish forgery. Searle's style was loose and vital but never sloppy. His finished works were worked up from numerous rough sketches and had elegant compositions.

I've tried to alert a well-known British auction house in the past who were oblivious to selling a fake Searle but rebuffed my accusation affronted that their "expert knowledge" was called into question. Which instantly made them into Searle-esque stuffy, art dealer snobs!

Sometimes these fakes will pop up on eBay too with the "attributed to Ronald Searle" or "after Ronald Searle" but don't fall for it. 

More fake Searles here and here

Sold!

 I missed this one! An auction at Sotheby's in December 2020 of 81 books by Searle many inscribed by him. I guess they were bought by a dealer who'll sell them on separately. 

See more auction items here and more dedicaces here 

2018 Auctions

 Sold at Bonhams NYC, 5th December

'A series of three original watercolors, "Commercial Christmas," "Office Parties," and "Giftmanship," unused illustrations for the article "Christmas Lifemanship," Holiday Magazine, c.1960, watercolor, India ink and pencil, 253 x 365 mm, each numbered ("1"-"3") and titled by the artist in ink at bottom, some soiling, discolored along edges.

A trio of humorous sketches lampooning holiday etiquette: a secretary presents a toy Santa Claus to her boss in "Commercial Christmas"; a sexy young woman with a much older man "showing that you are in the secret confidence of the managing director"; and another beauty in evening gown pushing her Christmas present for her husband—a gift-wrapped wheelchair—in "Giftmanship. 'Slightly unflattering.'" During his early career, Mr. Knight was enthralled with the Punch cartoons of Searle, particularly the Belle's of St. Trinian's series. "He did these dreadful, vicious little schoolgirls terrifying their teachers," Mr. Knight told The Easthampton Star. "I loved the wicked style, and in the early '50s began doing contemporary drawings along those lines." Eloise in her little uniform owes much to the Englishman's pint-sized anarchists.'

-Bonhams (original page here)

Ronald Searle 1920-2011: 'Oil Leak',

signed, cartoon in pen and ink on board, with dedication "David, Don't look at this with a professional eye! This is just a souvenir of the Monte Carlo jaunt - with best wishes from Ronald 1968', 36 x 47cm, in card mounted display with copies of Searle's artwork designs for the titles of 'Those Daring Young Men in the Jaunty Jalopies' (working title) and scanned images of David Watson clowning with Dudley Moore and some of the film crew.  

FOOTNOTES

• From the collection of the late David John Peter Watson, equity card carrying professional driver. Watson acted as technical adviser and performed some of the driving stunts on the film, doubling for the likes of Tony Curtis, Terry Thomas and even Mireille Darc. The film was released as Monte-Carlo or Bust! in the UK in 1969 and as Those Daring Young Men in the Jaunty Jalopies in the USA.

Sold at Sotheby's July 10th 2018

 Sold June 28th, UK

Sold June 2, NY

Sold March 6th, UK

A magazine cover design for the winter number of ‘Town & Country’ in 1948 by Ronald Searle

Originals coming up at auction

Big Searle news on the artist's birthday: Jeffrey Archer is selling his cartoon collection! It includes some fantastic Searle originals.

‘ART: THE BRITISH PUBLIC KNOWING WHAT IT LIKES...' (CONSEQUENCES OF PUTTING MR GRAHAM SUTHERLAND’S LATEST PORTRAIT ON PUBLIC EXHIBITION)

‘ON THE ROAD WITH KENNEDY’

'RICHARD NIXON AT AIRPORT RALLY'

'LORD BEAVERBROOK'

'‘EDEN AND CHURCHILL GARTERED’'

'ON THE ROAD: HERBERT MORRISON ELECTIONEERING'

More info here

UK exhibitions

Chris Beetles' annual show 'The Illustrators' is coming up and features this mythical Searle picture.see a couple more Searle pictures on offer and the rest of the exhibition here


Abbott & Holder have a selection of Searle letter forms on sale here (previously auctioned here)

They also have this Express Theatre Column cartoon (circa 1955) and can't quite identify everyone in it. Best guesses: Max Miller, Frank Sinatra, Arthur Rank, Greer Garson . . . can anyone help?

The Cartoon Gallery in Chester, England will have a selection of Searle lithos, etchings and original drawings at their booth during the Chester Arts Fair November 16-17

Searle In America fundraiser auction is LIVE!

Calling all Searle fans and cartoon & animation art collectors. The auction is launched! Over 70 cartoonists and animation artists from around the globe have contributed incredible hand-crafted artwork inspired by Ronald Searle's artwork.
Let's make a Ronald Searle retrospective exhibition happen in San Francisco!
To view and bid on the artwork go to the Cartoon Art Museum's eBay shop right here

Auction

Ralph Spurrier of Post Mortem Books informs me of an upcoming auction of original Searle artwork that readers may be interested in.

"I knew Ronald for very many years via his wife Mo who was a customer of mine – she was an avid reader of crime fiction – and I was invited down to Tourtour to visit with them. The occasion was MOST convivial! A few years later,when I opened a bookshop in London I approached Ronald to ask him if he would produce a colophon for me. Well, he not only produced a colophon but a whole slew of alphabet letters consisting of figures in the shape of letters, daggers, guns, gravestones (the letter T) which he suggested I could mix and match to use for whatever purpose (shop sign, letterhead etc etc) I wanted. Well, my business partner  - to cut a long story short – didn’t like them at all and they never got used. They were consigned to the portfolio and shoved away for over 20 years.  Eventually I resigned from the shop (some years later it went bust) and returned back to the country a wiser – if slightly poorer -  man."

  ". . . I had forgotten all about the RS material until a house move a couple of years ago unearthed them.  With some reluctance I have now decided to auction the material. I don’t desperately need the money but if I should die prematurely then this material could be lost for all time which would be a great shame. You may be interested yourself and perhaps your readers may well be interested..."

To view the catalogue go to the website of Dominic Winter Auctions 
{item 374 on page 118 of the 6th February catalogue}