Andy Warhol’s Howdy Doody Screenprint, 20th-Century Multiples Available at Dane Fine Art This Summer

Over 1,000 lots of fine paintings, posters, prints, and multiples will soon come to auction with Dane Fine Art in the Freedom Sale of Modern & Contemporary Art. Scheduled for June 29, 2023, the sale includes work by top artists of the 20th century, including Andy Warhol, Robert Longo, and Louis Icart, as well as more contemporary works by Julian Opie, KAWS, and Mr. Brainwash.

An original silkscreen version of Andy Warhol’s Howdy Doody leads the auction catalog (lot #6; estimate: USD 117,000 – $162,000). It comes from a rare, limited edition of 200. The piece belongs to Warhol’s 1981 Myths series, which profiled fictional characters and personas that Warhol associated with American culture. Howdy Doody was one of the first children’s television programs in color and featured the titular freckle-faced marionette. In Warhol’s version, the character is shown with a wide smile and electric blue eyes. The offered screenprint was published by Ronald Feldman Arts Inc. of New York and is hand-signed by Warhol on the back. Several other works by Warhol will also come to auction in this event, including an original drawing of a Campbell’s Soup can on the cover page of 1975’s The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (lot #1066; estimate: $6,500 – $9,000) and a 1967 screenprint of John Joseph H. from Warhol’s 13 Most Wanted Men series (lot #896; estimate: $5,500 – $8,000). 

Another notable work in the catalog is a black-and-white lithograph of Robert Longo’s Jules from 1982-83 (lot #9; estimate: $31,000 – $41,000). The image belongs to Longo’s Men in the Cities series of formally-dressed men and women standing in contorted poses. The offered lithograph comes from a limited edition of 45. Longo’s Men in the Cities photographs catapulted the artist to fame in the 1980s. Images from this series appear in such disparate places as the cover of music albums and as background art in the 2000 satirical horror film American Psycho. 

Several pieces by French artist Louis Icart are on offer this June, including an original oil on board painting titled Une Cigarette (lot #890; estimate: $15,000 – $20,000). The work shows a woman reclining in an armchair, gazing idly to the side as a cigarette smokes between her fingers. Also available is Icart’s Untitled (Cabaret Dancers), which comes to auction with an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000 (lot #1004).

Additional lots of interest in this sale include: 

• Tension 6, a 2019 screenprint on paper by KAWS (lot #33; estimate: $21,000 – $29,000) 
• A pair of chromogenic prints by multimedia artist Huang Yan (lot #868; estimate: $21,000 – $29,000) 
• French Village 1, a 2021 inkjet on photo rag print by Julian Opie based on a 2020 continuous computer animation video (lot #1; estimate: $31,000 – $43,000) 
• An original screenprint of Mr. Brainwash’s Cover Girl from 2011 (lot #1019; estimate: $17,000 – $23,500) 
• An earthenware clay bowl design by Pablo Picasso (lot #438; estimate: $10,000 – $15,000) 

Dane Fine Art began over 50 years ago and now consists of a staff of over 25 knowledgeable art professionals with in-depth knowledge and understanding in multiple fine art forms and mediums. As a global leader in fine art sales, the Philadelphia-based auction house and gallery is constantly buying and selling. Dane Fine Art’s expertise and authority in the marketplace affords sellers of fine art excellent valuation of their work and highest fair market value prices paid. The company’s buying power and economies of scale afford the buyer with best possible pricing, a vast selection, reliable provenance, and secure transactions. Dane Fine Art’s unique process stems from the philosophy of offering private, corporate, and dealer clients the finest artwork at the most reasonable price points possible — simple and straight-forward.

The Freedom Sale of Modern & Contemporary Art at Dane Fine Art will begin at 12:00 PM EDT on June 29, 2023. To view the complete catalog and register to bid, visit Bidsquare.