What to do with Designer/Studio Artwork.
Occasionally I get emails about studio artwork.
Designers often keep their artwork. But relatives or others that have been given or inherited studio sketches are challenged by properly storing sometimes large format studio art to prevent deterioration. They would like to know what to do with it.
I also get emails by individuals that want to sell artwork and want to know what it’s worth.
The consensus is that Designer/Studio artwork should be preserved, and not sold.
Artwork is more valuable historically as a body of work, rather than as individual pieces, as it tells a broader story about its creator, the contributions they made, and the programs illustrated.
What to do with Designer/Studio artwork?
Ensure that your work is documented for the historic record. Your best course of action is work with the archives at the appropriate OEM. Many of you may have already been in contact with the GM Design Archive & Special Collections to document your collections. The other OEMs have corporate archives as well who might be willing to assist. If you are uncomfortable doing this, have the individual pieces professionally photographed, then make the photos available to an appropriate institution.
Once documented, keep the artwork within the family, and store it properly to avoid further deterioration.
If the family is uninterested in maintaining the artwork, donate it to an institution that will honor its creators and make it publicly available for research and display. If the artwork must be shipped, inquire as to the best way to package it.
Gather as much information as you have about the creator of the artwork, time frame, and history.
Contact Dean’s Garage with specifics. I will forward appropriate requests to one of several organizations.
I have another take on what to do with all of our design sketches.
I was lucky enough to leave GM with a large portion of my old sketches. I have no illusion that my body of work is worthy of keeping it together as a single entity. Even famous artists sell their work and have them spread around the world. I chose to frame several of my sketches and gave them to my grandkids. My son and daughter also get a few of my best drawings.
I also donated two of my Corvette sketches to a worthy charity that was able to get $600 for them. The Corvette museum also showed some of my Corvette drawings and they will get to keep them. As for keeping the work together, I did send most of my work to GM and they did high resolution scans and returned the originals with a disc copy of the scans. I used these scans to make books with Shutterfly of many of my best pieces. The books were given to my kids and are easier to look at compared to a pile of sketches in a drawer. I also did sell quite a few of my drawings to collectors and museums who seem to appreciate them.
Keeping my drawings together where they will sit idle in a drawer or file was not an option for me. I would rather have my work our there where it can be seen and appreciated, wherever it ends up. Ron Will
I have a lot of sketches from my G.M. days. I would like to find a new home for them.
I have a rendering done by Larry Nicklin, of Fort Wayne/Leo IN, who was a designer for Chrysler and Studebaker Design Team. Larry Nicklin, was one of the founders of the Ferrari Club of America . How do I send a photo?
The Detroit Institute of Art has a new curator for Aitomotive, Industrial Design and Decorative Art. Shelly Selim already had many piece donated from Julie Hyde Edwards and would gladly accept donations or may even purchase some. Contact the DIA for more information. And Homer LaGassey said our artwork would never hang in the Louvre. Getting there.
The Piston Palace is a private museum that features original automotive concept car art with exhibits featuring styling models and Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild models. Our automobile exhibit includes a recreation of a 1950’s car dealer showroom. We would appreciate the opportunity to bid on any original concept car art that becomes available.
Thank you for your consideration, Jeffrey B. Goldstein, founder
Jeff@pistonpalace.com
http://www.pistonpalace.com
Please watch our You Tube videos for more info or reach out with an email. Click on the links below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xztjvwxc12w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb-NnGzZyOI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlK_fAvBcDY
I just checked out the Piston Palace link from Jeffrey Goldstein. What a cool place! Additionally, the website is rich in images and information.
Dave Jenkins headed the Edsel marketing account at Foote, Cone & Belding in Chicago. When he left in 1963 he was given permission to take with him everything relating to the Edsel, from first-day notes on scratch paper to weekly activities to scale models, to interoffice communications to original artwork. In time I became the selected repositor of this vast holding, including original watercolors of the Pacer Convertible and the Bermuda. The station wagon is marked “air suspension catalog”, a publication that never made it to print. Over the years I have parceled out some of these materials to dedicated collectors and recognized historians. Today, I am looking to rehome the balance of the collection. Since this represents a substantial investment I regret that I am not able to donate, but negotiated transactions will continue to be well below appraisals.
PS: I Love your rotating globe!
Talk about timing ! I had hoped that there could be a gathering place for our sketches and renderings. These need to be seen. Thanks for giving us this opportunity.
One of Detroit best kept secret is that downtown Detroit was the center
of automotive illustration for decades. Talent artist produced art work that
Influenced generations of car enthusiasts. These stylized illustrations appeared weekly in National publications. Their images capture our culture from elaborate lifestyles to muscle car. This one of a kind art work reflects a car culture that is Detroit made.
Hello all!
Shelley Selim here from the Detroit Institute of Arts. As Glen mentioned above, we are actively collecting studio renderings for exhibition and preservation at the museum. We do already have a wonderful foundational gift of drawings from Julie Hyde-Edwards in honor of her husband, Robert, and building this collection is a priority for our director. In addition to storing these artworks in accordance with the best standards in the industry, we’ll also be mounting temporary exhibitions and every piece will be catalogued, photographed, and viewable on our website.
For those of you who are less familiar with the museum, the DIA is one of the largest art museums in the country, with about 700,000 visitors annually. This includes tens of thousands of metro-Detroit students who visit the museum each year thanks to the tri-county millage. For the past two years in a row, USA Today has voted the DIA the best art museum in the country. It’s a very sweet spot to be!
I would be thrilled to speak with anyone who is interested in adding their work to the collection, and indeed have already chatted with a few of the folks in the comments section. You can email me at sselim@dia.org.
Sincerely,
Shelley Selim
Mort Harris Curator of Automotive, Industrial, and Decorative Design
Detroit Institute of Arts
One more thing:
No matter where you want your artwork to end up, a good tip is to store it in flat files and keep a sheet of archival, acid-free paper between the drawings, especially if you were using marker or Flo-master ink. It keeps the colors from bleeding. If you don’t have acid-free paper, any kind of paper will do in the interim. Try not to roll those drawings if you can (especially if they’re on newsprint)!
Best wishes,
Shelley
Legendary singer/actor/cowboy/philanthropist Roy Rogers saved everything from his colorful, lifelong career. Before he died, he opened a museum and instructed his son, “If it ever fails to pay for itself, just liquidate everything!” Eventually, that’s what came to pass. Today, although Rogers’ artifacts are scattered throughout the country (if not the world) they are nonetheless loved and cherished.