One summer day in the early 1960s, New York City diamond setter Michelle Kleinbaum visited her favorite thrift store near where she worked in Manhattan. That’s where he found all sorts of items of interest. He was an avid bird watcher, so he was always looking for anything related to birds.
On this occasion, however, he came across a painting depicting the cast of The King and I in 1951. It was none other than Al Hirschfeld who regularly featured in The New York Times for his work showcasing figures in the entertainment world.
Kleinbaum, who regularly attended Broadway shows in New York with his wife, knew it was necessary. price? Only $12 — a bargain even by the standards of the time. Even better, the store was having a summer sale, so he got it for $9.75.
After about 60 years, the picture emerged again. Kleinbaum’s son, his Georges, has decided to sell as both his father and mother have died.
However, Georges will end up with well over $9.75. The work will be done for $50,000, according to the Al Hirschfeld Foundation, which is in charge of the sale.
“I didn’t expect that!” says Georges, 67, of Salem, Oregon.
This story reminds me of other recent stories I found at thrift stores. For example, a Picasso poster was bought for his $14 and later sold him for $7,000. But in this case, it also speaks to the growing interest in the celebrated illustrator Hirschfeld (1903-2003), whose career spanned more than 75 years.
With simple, elegant pen strokes, Hirschfeld captured nearly everyone on the Broadway stage. His list of subjects ranges from Ethel Merman to Liza Minnelli, the Marx Brothers to the Beatles, and in many cases he made several paintings of the same people over the years.
Al Hirschfeld working in his studio, 1999
Courtesy of Alan Behr/Al Hirschfeld Foundation
These days, Hirschfeld originals sell for up to $60,000, and limited-edition lithographs sell for $20,000, according to David Leopold, Creative Director of the Hirschfeld Foundation. Meagan McMillan, a Hirschfeld expert who works at Heritage Auctions, a leading auction house that specializes in art and collectibles, says prices could hit six figures in a few years.
“There’s a lot of room to grow,” McMillan says. He now helps coordinate his online auction of Hirschfeld paintings, with proceeds going to Broadway his Cares/Equity his Fight AIDS organization and the Hirschfeld Foundation.
Hirschfeld’s work is also the subject of the exhibition “American Theater as Seen by Hirschfeld,” opening November 15 at New York City’s new Broadway Museum. A book with the same name will be released this month.
A painting of Hirschfeld’s “King and I” depicting Yul Brynner and other members of the original cast will be on display. When Georges Kleinbaum first contacted David Leopold of the Hirschfeld Foundation, Leopold thought it was likely that it was a print rather than an original. Leopold says it’s common to hear that Hirschfeld has been unearthed out of the blue.
Georges Kleinbaum (right) and wife Dorothy in 2011 when the couple brought Hirschfeld’s paintings to the ‘Antique Roadshow’ expert
Courtesy Georges Kleinbaum
But when Georges Kleinbaum provided a photograph of the drawing, Leopold suddenly realized that this was a true treasure. It’s not just an original, it’s an original that depicts the cast of a show that has become a Broadway landmark.
“I’m like, ‘Wow, this looks real,'” Leopold recalls his reaction.
It’s a little difficult to put together how and why the piece ended up in a New York City thrift store found by Michelle Kleinbaum.
Leopold explains that Hirschfeld retained ownership of his painting after it was published in The New York Times and elsewhere. This he apparently loaned to the Museum of the City of New York for display, and then donated to the museum for an auction held by the museum, says Leopold. I’m noticing what it says on the label affixed to the . However, a spokesperson for the Museum of the City of New York said there is no record of the work ever being part of a collection.
The Kleinbaum family in 1962: (from left) Father Michel, son Georges and mother Suzanne
Courtesy Georges Kleinbaum
Still, even if the museum-and-auction story is correct, Leopold has no clue about the painting’s route to the thrift store. Or why thrift stores charge so low, says Leopold, because even back then, original Hirschfelds would have cost hundreds of dollars.
According to Georges Kleinbaum, his father always knew the painting was a find. Georges is uncertain of the exact year the painting was purchased, but recalls it being purchased in the summer of the early 1960s. He also adds that his father was aware that it was an original, not a print, and was delighted with how he got it at such a low figure. As Georges says, when people heard their father say “975,” they always assumed it meant $975, not $9.75.
Georges confirmed the painting had some real value when he brought it in for expert review in 2011 on the PBS series “Antiques Roadshow.” to the sky).
Still, it’s a huge leap from the expected selling price of $10,000 to $50,000 and, of course, an even bigger jump from $9.75 to $50,000. Georges says he has fond memories of seeing Hirschfeld at his parents’ home, and he even has a photo of himself as a child sitting near the painting.
But now that he’s inherited so much from his parents, Georges says it’s hard to find a place to store it all. Ultimately, he decided to let Hirschfeld go. He hoped the new owner would appreciate the car as much as his father appreciated it.
And what would Dad think of the $50,000 selling price? “He would have flipped out,” says Georges.
.
Comments
Post a Comment