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Jim Lee selling his art collection?

Started by Pete Marino,

125 posts in this topic

drdroom

drdroom

Posted
Posted

Yeah, I have to agree - it's more marketing spin than anything else. Do we know if these (large) pieces were actually carried to Tehran by Mendez? Or did they just sit in the faux Hollywood office as part of the backstory? If the former, they would carry more weight with me; if the latter, they are a footnote at best to the overall story. Still very cool, but if these pieces rival The King's Marvel art prices based on the Argo connection...I'd rather have the superhero art personally. 2c

 

Barry Ira Geller, who wrote the screenplay for the proposed Lord of Light movie, has a very detailed site on this work and the CIA use of it .

 

Among other things, he offers:

 

It's not a well designed site so be sure to scroll down to see everything especially on the home page.

 

 

BTW, if you haven't read the book, you are missing a treat.

 

 

I've gone through a lot of this stuff but can't find anything on whether the OA actually traveled to Iran, or was ever physically in the hands of CIA. There's mention of a portfolio of production materials, which presumably would have held either the originals or (possibly colored) reproductions, but I find no account of the images being shown to Iranians at any point. If the actual boards in the Heritage auction had been oohed & aahed over by Iranian officials who could have scuttled the operation, then that would be a strong historical value-added to the lot. If it's just a non-crucial detail of the cover story, then to me its just a point of curiosity, and I would value the work a bit below a strong Eternals DPS.

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delekkerste

delekkerste

Posted
Posted
As for why Mr. Lee wouldn't mind a bit more $$ w/4 kids assuming he lives in NYC or thereabouts?

 

** I know nothing about Mr. Lee's personal life, so these estimates are all conjecture.

 

I believe Mr. Lee lives in La Jolla, CA (a wealthy enclave of San Diego). Still, the numbers you cited might not be far off for that area, as they are way off (too low) for NYC ($40K/year for private high school is closer to reality than $25K). Though, San Diego's North County area does have great public schools. Also, private colleges are much more expensive than $45K/year when you factor in housing, meal plan, books, fees, etc. (my alma mater, Penn, estimates $61,800 for the upcoming school year).

 

In any case, I'm sure that Mr. Lee isn't the only collector who thinks that paying for big real-life expenses with wildly appreciated artwork that they've already enjoyed for many years might be a good idea. :idea:

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Jeffreykli

Jeffreykli

Posted
Posted
As for why Mr. Lee wouldn't mind a bit more $$ w/4 kids assuming he lives in NYC or thereabouts?

 

** I know nothing about Mr. Lee's personal life, so these estimates are all conjecture.

 

I believe Mr. Lee lives in La Jolla, CA (a wealthy enclave of San Diego). Still, the numbers you cited might not be far off for that area, as they are way off (too low) for NYC ($40K/year for private high school is closer to reality than $25K). Though, San Diego's North County area does have great public schools. Also, private colleges are much more expensive than $45K/year when you factor in housing, meal plan, books, fees, etc. (my alma mater, Penn, estimates $61,800 for the upcoming school year).

 

In any case, I'm sure that Mr. Lee isn't the only collector who thinks that paying for big real-life expenses with wildly appreciated artwork that they've already enjoyed for many years might be a good idea. :idea:

 

+1 The education numbers are low, unless the college is in-state. Private pre-school and elementary school run $25k.

 

When faced with short-term bumps in education expenses (college), certainly culling the collection is a great solution.

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ImageFan-migration

ImageFan-migration

Posted
Posted

It would not surprise me if some of his sales are just a form of shifting investments as he utilizes the resulting profits to obtain other art to fill out his collection. I have seen collectors and artists site college expenses, divorce costs, medical procedures, and home purchases as reasons for sudden shifts in their portfolios, only to materialize amazing grail themed pieces just a short time down the line.

 

It makes it more palatable to create a justifiable reason for a sale instead of presenting it as a trade up towards a better piece. If tuition costs were truly a concern, it would be much easier to spend a couple of days generating some loose pinup pieces that routinely sell for $4-7K on his dealer's site as opposed to selling uniquely irreplaceable Kirby art.

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stinkininkin

stinkininkin

Posted
Posted
It would not surprise me if some of his sales are just a form of shifting investments as he utilizes the resulting profits to obtain other art to fill out his collection. I have seen collectors and artists site college expenses, divorce costs, medical procedures, and home purchases as reasons for sudden shifts in their portfolios, only to materialize amazing grail themed pieces just a short time down the line.

 

It makes it more palatable to create a justifiable reason for a sale instead of presenting it as a trade up towards a better piece. If tuition costs were truly a concern, it would be much easier to spend a couple of days generating some loose pinup pieces that routinely sell for $4-7K on his dealer's site as opposed to selling uniquely irreplaceable Kirby art.

 

Jim has stated (publicly) that he never really thought of himself as an art collector, that it just sort of happened. He has also stated publicly that selling off his art has and continues to help fund real life expenditures such as college tuition. I would take him at his word.

 

Scott

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Doc McCoy

Doc McCoy

Posted
Posted
Not to mention that I don't know anyone with 4 kids that has a couple spare days for anything!

 

Uh, make that 8 kids and another one coming soon. Not to mention not one, but two full time jobs/careers.

 

And I think that closes the book on any reasons Jim may have for selling his collection. He's trying to get it out of the house before someone uses it for a coloring book!!! ;)

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Bronty

Bronty

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Posted

lol there you go! lol

 

divorce settlement, support payments, 9 kids (4 at or near college age), and a wife.

 

I'm sure he does very well for himself but the above sentence will have just about anybody looking for extra funds!

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AKA Rick

AKA Rick

Posted
Posted

With or without 8 kids or any personal overhead, some artists aren't attached to their artwork and some like the thought of others enjoying that art, so don't like keeping their own original art, and it doesn't hurt knowing the artist already got paid by the publisher to do the work, and it's an extra bonus to sell 8 oz of paper without any emotional attachment for four or five figures. Sounds pretty smart to me...

 

If anything, Jim Lee has proven to be both a creative talent and a savvy business person, a rare double threat set of skills to possess.

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VintageComics

VintageComics

Posted
Posted

 

top 5 to 10? I don't buy that personally even though I understand people liking his work even if I don't. Top 5 or 10 of the last 30 years, sure. But top 5 or 10 going back to the 1930s?

 

As in...

 

Jack Kirby

Carl Barks

Frank Frazetta

Steve Ditko

and

Jim Lee???

 

not for my 2c although I'd be curious to hear other reactions on that.

 

 

Carl Barks?

 

To each his own I guess.

 

 

as a pure artist, perhaps, perhaps not, but there as an artist/writer he stands with absolutely anybody unless one is fixated on spandex tights... I'd put his body of work directly below kirby personally at #2, but I can see reasonable opinions putting him anywhere between 2 and 10.

 

To me Jim Lee did to the 1990's and 2000's what Byrne did to the 1970's and 1980's.

 

Both are terrific artists with cult followings but I would label either one as innovative.

 

Trail blazers in conveying Superhero action but nothing more.

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revat

revat

Posted
Posted

 

top 5 to 10? I don't buy that personally even though I understand people liking his work even if I don't. Top 5 or 10 of the last 30 years, sure. But top 5 or 10 going back to the 1930s?

 

As in...

 

Jack Kirby

Carl Barks

Frank Frazetta

Steve Ditko

and

Jim Lee???

 

not for my 2c although I'd be curious to hear other reactions on that.

 

 

Carl Barks?

 

To each his own I guess.

 

 

as a pure artist, perhaps, perhaps not, but there as an artist/writer he stands with absolutely anybody unless one is fixated on spandex tights... I'd put his body of work directly below kirby personally at #2, but I can see reasonable opinions putting him anywhere between 2 and 10.

 

To me Jim Lee did to the 1990's and 2000's what Byrne did to the 1970's and 1980's.

 

Both are terrific artists with cult followings but I would label either one as innovative.

 

Trail blazers in conveying Superhero action but nothing more.

 

I agree with the comparison, but I would say that being the most well known and popular artist/creator in an era where comics go GLOBAL and saturate other mediums (video games/movies/online) should not be understated for the purpose of this discussion. And the move with him and the Image guys to creator owned comics was a HUGE revolution for comic artists which shouldn't be ignored. And he helped bring DC back from the brink of suckitude, with his art and his role as editor/publisher.

 

 

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Silver Surfer

Silver Surfer

Posted
Posted

 

top 5 to 10? I don't buy that personally even though I understand people liking his work even if I don't. Top 5 or 10 of the last 30 years, sure. But top 5 or 10 going back to the 1930s?

 

As in...

 

Jack Kirby

Carl Barks

Frank Frazetta

Steve Ditko

and

Jim Lee???

 

not for my 2c although I'd be curious to hear other reactions on that.

 

 

Carl Barks?

 

To each his own I guess.

 

 

as a pure artist, perhaps, perhaps not, but there as an artist/writer he stands with absolutely anybody unless one is fixated on spandex tights... I'd put his body of work directly below kirby personally at #2, but I can see reasonable opinions putting him anywhere between 2 and 10.

 

To me Jim Lee did to the 1990's and 2000's what Byrne did to the 1970's and 1980's.

 

Both are terrific artists with cult followings but I would label either one as innovative.

 

Trail blazers in conveying Superhero action but nothing more.

 

No disrespect to Mr. Lee, I like his work but not quite on the same level as JB. This strikes me as a bit of an over statement IMO. JB turned the market on its ear when it was strong, material was being produced from now great artists who were at their peak or coming into their own. The 90's were the complete opposite of the 70's-80's and easily the weakest of all eras in terms of talent pool, quality of work, etc.

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Bronty

Bronty

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Posted

I don't think he's equating Lee and JB. I think he's saying that their influence on the market was sort of similar. Nothing groundbreaking, but nice visuals that were popular. I don't think he's trying to analyze who was more talented. Just that neither was like a Miller or a Crumb with unique styles and a different approach.

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