Walt Disney Animation Cels Featured in Leslie Hindman Auctioneers Illustration Art Auction

Written by Charles Dunning Wednesday, 09 November 2011 22:49

Chicago, Illinois.- On Tuesday, November 15, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will auction an impressive collection of original illustration art belonging to Ralph Esmerian, including early Walt Disney rare animation cels from the 1930’s and 1940’s and original story-board watercolors from the beloved French children’s series, Babar the Elephant. The collection is expected to bring over $50,000. Public previews for the sale will be held Saturday, November 12th 10am – 3pm, Sunday, November 13th 12pm – 5pm, and Monday, November 14th, 10am – 5pm. In the Golden Age of Animation, from 1928 to 1942, Walt Disney studios produced five of the most spectacular feature-length animated films of all time: Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi. Their influence remains today, as the studio continues to re-release them from “The Vault” for a new generation.

Each scene was hand-crafted carefully with the combination of original production cels and original production watercolor backgrounds. Together, these “key master set-ups,” as they are termed, from Disney’s early animated features are exceedingly rare. Ralph Esmerian’s collection contained a number of these key master set-ups, including two from Snow White and Seven Dwarfs and four from Pinocchio. Scenes include Snow White kissing Dopey on the forehead, Dopey placing diamonds in his eyes, Gepetto creating Pinocchio, Pinocchio crawling across the floor of Gepetto’s workshop, Gepetto discovering Pinocchio’s donkey ears, and Pinocchio dancing for the evil puppet-master, Stromboli. “We believe this to be one of the most significant collections of original Disney animation art to have ever been offered at auction in recent years,” says Mary Williams, Director of Fine Books and Manuscripts at Leslie Hindman, “and we expect it to do extremely well.”  The collection also contains original story-board watercolor drawings from the popular children’s book series Babar the Elephant, by Jean de Brunhoff and, later, his son Laurent de Brunhoff, each estimated to sell between $4,000-6,000. Babar the Elephant, dreamed up from the bedtime stories of Cecil de Brunhoff, is one of the most iconic, and, at times, controversial, children’s book characters of all time, with over 30,000 publications in 17 languages and an animated television series that broadcasts in over 150 countries. Esmerian’s collection includes original story-board illustrations by Jean de Brunhoff from Le Voyage de Babar (1932) and by Laurent de Brunhoff from Babar Comes to America(1965). Also included is an original watercolor of Babar and his family signed by Laurent de Brunhoff with a matching signed lithograph and a hand-painted lithograph signed by Jean de Brunhoff from Le Roi de Babar.


Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is a full service auction house and industry leader with over thirty years of expertise and experience. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is internationally known as a key player in the global auction market and our team of professionals delivers up to forty sales a year specializing in Fine Furniture and Decorative Arts; Asian Works of Art; Fine Art; Fine Books and Manuscripts; Fine Jewelry and Timepieces; and Vintage Couture and Accessories. The company continues to expand, and in 2011 opened new facilities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Palm Beach, Florida. The Chicago headquarters boasts 30,000 square feet featuring: a dedicated auction room, three spacious exhibition rooms, an 8,000 square feet parking lot, a drive-in receiving area, attractive executive offices and conference rooms, and outstanding storage facilities. Visit the auction house's website at ... http://www.lesliehindman.com

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