Lot 98
Two Football-Themed Original TV Guide Cover Artworks
Two football-themed original mixed-media artworks, created by Ronald Searle and Edward Koren. Made expressly for and reproduced on the cover of TV Guide, December 28, 1974. Framed. Height: 15 inches x 20 inches and 14 inches x 16 inches.
For millions of American homes from the 1950s through the 1990s, the most popular weekly magazine was TV Guide. Long before television scheduling regularly appeared in daily newspapers, TV Guide was what one looked to to plan an evening of viewing. Of course, TV Guide was far more than simply a series of lists, but rather a book that gave hints of what the increasing array of television programming had in store for the family that viewed together.
In the world of illustration, nothing is more prestigious to an illustrator than a “cover” story. Readers may skim through a magazine, missing half of the articles, photographs and illustrations, but they never miss the cover. Indeed, a large percentage of the public that may never purchase a given publication still is aware of its cover art by virtue of seeing the publication at a newstand, check-out counter or any of the many other places such magazines are sold.
By combining the unprecedented popularity of TV Guide with the importance of the cover illustration, the significance of the following offering begins to surface. Add to the mix the fact that TV Guide’s art directors, knowning the importance of the covers, opted for the very finest illustrators suited to each respective assignment. Accordingly, the following original artwork for TV Guide covers is “the best of the best of the best!”
Ronald Searle is an award-winning English illustrator, with drawing product ranging from World War II prison camps to the St.Trinian’s girls. He won the American National Cartoonist Society Advertising and Illustration Award twice, and other awards over the course of his long career.
Edward Koren is an illustrator and artist, unusual in that he is both a professor and a winner of a Guggenheim award. His quirky, charming and humorous illustrations are distinctive and instantly recognizable.
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000