Marilyn Monroe renderings by pop artist Sidney Maurer fetch record prices at Julien's auction

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, December 17, 2010 (Press-News.org) A pair of paintings of Marilyn Monroe by the noted pop culture artist Sidney Randolph Maurer sold for a combined $11,875 at the highly publicized Icons & Idols auction held Dec. 3-4 by Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills. One of the paintings soared to $7,500 (including the buyer's premium), a new auction record for a work by the artist.

Julien's memorabilia collectors bought Sid Maurer's paintings out of pure love, as the final prices realized sailed past the pre-auction estimates of $600-$800 each. The last time his artwork was featured in a major auction was Nov. 17, 2009, when his paintings carried more realistic pre-sale estimates of $2,500-$3,500. Those numbers, too, were easily surpassed.

Sid Maurer was a perfect fit for an auction titled Icons & Idols. For the past ten years, the 84-year-old Atlanta resident has been building a series he calls Icons of the 20th Century, which to date totals more than 230 original portraits of personalities he admires in sports, entertainment, politics, religion and other fields. All five pieces in the Julien's sale were from the Icons series.

The three other paintings in the auction included one depicting John Wayne in a Western movie pose ($2,500), one showing the late singing legend Judy Garland ($1,875), and one of Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in a romantic scene from the film Gone with the Wind ($1,375).

Interest in Mr. Maurer's work has spiked in recent months with several developments. First came the announcement by the Salvador Dali Gallery in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., that it would begin offering works by Maurer (signed, hand-embellished giclees of Marilyn Monroe, available as a complete set of five images for $7,500; each rendering is individually numbered).

"This the first time in the 26-year history of the Salvador Dali Gallery that we're offering works of art by any artist other than Dali," said Gallery director Bruce Hochmann. "We're doing this because we firmly believe that Sidney Maurer is on the verge of being a very hot property in the American art world. Also, Marilyn Monroe collectibles are in very high demand right now.

Second was the announcement that Enrique Sabater, Salvador Dali's former manager and owner of one of the largest collections of Marilyn Monroe portraits in the world, purchased the five-giclee set and said he planned to include Mr. Maurer's work in a Marilyn-themed exhibition in Spain, slated for sometime in 2011. Mr. Sabater fell in love with Maurer's work after Mr. Hochmann flew to New York City and offered it to him in person. A sale was made on the spot.

Then came word from the highly regarded Galerie Rienzo in Manhattan that it would feature an exhibition of Mr. Maurer's work, sometime in the spring. This represents a radical departure for Galerie Rienzo, which typically features only renowned School of Paris painters such as Bernard Buffet. To show a pop painter's work is a tribute to Mr. Maurer's artistic talent.

Also, a showing of some of Mr. Maurer's works is planned for The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. The paintings will all be from the Comic Icons of the 20th Century sub-series. "Having Sid Maurer's unique and visually stunning profiles of some of the greatest names in comedy history on the walls of The Comedy Store is a hand-in-glove fit, a natural," said David Pierce, an attorney and entertainment law professor at UCLA. Mr. Pierce is also a sponsor of the exhibition.

And finally, Goldberg Coins, the worldwide gold coin dealer with clients in China, India and the world, announced that it would enter into an unprecedented artistic agreement with Mr. Maurer to sell original renderings of five "Bollywood" stars (Indian movie stars) to clients in India. It is the first time in the history of the company that it is representing any artist, anywhere.

The images used in the Icons of the 20th Century series began as simple photographs that Mr. Maurer found, of people he believes have made a significant contribution to the betterment of all mankind. He then enlarged each one, blowing them up and bombarding them with mixed media - crayon, acrylics and watercolor dyes. The result is a unique, highly stylized rendering, totally rebirthing the black and white photographs to life-like original works of art, in brilliant color.

It is a style that has increasingly earned the painter notice. From Sept. 22-Oct. 30, 2010, thirty music-themed works from Maurer's Icons of the 20th Century series went on exhibition at the Art and Design Center of California State University Northridge (CSUN). Renderings of Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and others were featured.

In November, paintings from Maurer's Icons of the 20th Century series were featured in an exhibit of film icons at the Screen Actors Guild Foundation's Los Angeles headquarters. The exhibit was a resounding success and set the stage for the artist's busy 2011 itinerary. To learn more about Sid Maurer, or to purchase one or more of his works, log on to maurereditions.com.