Topic on Stolen Art

[Paris_Fred]

Hi, is there any web site referencing stolen art ?

 

For example, does any one knows which covers from Swamp Thing were stolen from Steve Bissette ?

[sckao]

Hi, is there any web site referencing stolen art ?

 

For example, does any one knows which covers from Swamp Thing were stolen from Steve Bissette ?

 

http://albert.nickerson.tripod.com/creatorsbillofrightsbist6.html

 

Issue #34 and other covers

 

Excerpt:

 

(3) The original art I did sell in the 1980s and early '90s always sold for relatively high prices. I couldn't have asked for a better initial guide into the selling of my/our original art than John Totleben, and we extending our conscientious collaborative relationship into coordinating the pricing and availability of our Swamp Thing originals, never undercutting one another or the market value of our work. I never, ever sold a Swamp Thing page for as little as $10, to cite the figure you offered in context. John and I were getting hundreds of dollars per page fairly early into our run, fully understanding that in the supply-and-demand of our work, we were in the driver's seat. This, no doubt, precipitated the theft of the artwork to Swamp Thing #34 (along with three covers and a handful of pinup page originals) from the DC Comics offices, as we were already commanding fair prices for our work. Some low-life *spoon*-sucking *spoon* sonuvaperson_without_enough_empathy wanted our first painted cover for DC without paying either John or I what it was already worth (BTW, John and I have been pretty vigilante about that cache of stolen originals: if that work has been trafficked, it has been well under the radar), which gives you some indication of how desirable our work was at that time and the marekt pricing we had already achieved and benefitted from (which coincidentally subsized our ongoing work on the series, offsetting DC's low page rates, so before anyone ridicules us for selling our originals at all, bear in mind there might never have been later Bissette & Totleben collaborative issues had we not been able to feed our families via select and regulated sales of our originals). Since 1983, I consistently held on to and refused to sell my favorite pages and covers.

 

(4) I did in fact sell one page of Swamp Thing art in 1998 to the head story editor of the TV series Seinfeld -- not "a famous Hollywood director," Dave, but whatever the source of your information, either your memory or theirs hadn't mangled that info too badly. It was a solid sale (about $5000) of a single page of original art to a very interested party, who graciously gifted me with one of his own scripts for a Seinfeld episode generously signed and personalized to me by himself and the entire cast of that episode (which, I might add, will accrue its own considerable market value over the years, since your reference to the sale of art was presented in market terms). In any case, it was hardly "the last of [my] Swamp Thing art," it sold for a handsome sum, both seller and buyer were happy with the transaction, and I didn't feel like an *spoon* either then or now. I'm glad it's in his collection, just as I'm happy with most of the private collectors I've sold work to over the years, many of whom have maintained contact/. relations with me. If that Hollywood fellow ever parts with it, by God, I hope it does net him $10,000 or more -- thereby increasing the relative value of the Swamp Thing original art still in my and/or my kids' collection.

 

 

======================

 

Also, note that Comics Journal #103 seems to have an article saying some of the artwork had been recovered.

[Paris_Fred]

Thanks, on the 34 I know, but the other covers I have no ideas.

[Artemaria]

I had no idea about these thefts. This is a really horrible story.

 

Bissette and Totleben were amazing on Swamp Thing and along with Wrightson, have been the definitive artists for that character to this day.

 

It depresses me greatly that someone would do something like this to someone else. (I'm also not pleased to hear about DC's "low page rates" for essentially immortal work.)

[Pirate]

I had no idea about these thefts. This is a really horrible story.

 

Bissette and Totleben were amazing on Swamp Thing and along with Wrightson, have been the definitive artists for that character to this day.

 

It depresses me greatly that someone would do something like this to someone else. (I'm also not pleased to hear about DC's "low page rates" for essentially immortal work.)

 

No one forced them to take the low page rate

[tentpeg06]

Hi, is there any web site referencing stolen art ?

 

For example, does any one knows which covers from Swamp Thing were stolen from Steve Bissette ?

 

 

At one time, Enrico Salvini from Red Sector Original Art in Italy kept an ongoing and updated list of stolen art. Unfortunately, when the original Lowry Gallery folded in 2004, I do not know what happened to this link. Does anyone else out there know if Enrico still keeps this list? Any idea where he might have it? To Deputy Dave, aka Fiawol from the Comic-Art L, do you know where this list might be now? This is a good question.

Ciao!

PRC

[Paris_Fred]

Couldn't find the stolen art section on Enrico's web site

 

Have it one for sale on my CAF

 

Still missing update:

 

Cover to # 32 & 34

Last page from #34

[WYLDCHYLD]

If anyone knows the whereabouts of the original art to the covers of New Gods # 6 by Kirby or World's Finest # 231 by Garcia Lopez, both covers are stolen and belong to me...reward paid for any info leading to their safe return, no questions asked...

 

JONATHAN MANKUTA

[DemolitionComics1-migratio]

I passed all this stolen art info to my fellow workers at all our loactions. If it gets down here we will contact you immediately.

 

PG