Irene Sharaff Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Irene Sharaff Art Value Price Guide

Oct. 24, 2024
Irene Sharaff (1910-1993) Costume Design for Three Officers in Candide, 1956 22 x 14 1/2 in. (55.9 x 36.8 cm)
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
Irene Sharaff (1910-1993) Costume Design for Three Officers in Candide, 1956 signed 'Sharaff' twice (lower right), inscribed '3 Men Officers #52' (upper left) watercolor and ink on paper 22 x 14 1/2 in. (55.9 x 36.8 cm)
Bonhams
Apr. 30, 2023
Irene Sharaff (American, 1910-1933) Costume Design Painting
Est: $600 - $800
Irene Sharaff (American, 1910-1993) Painting. Title - Costume Design for Mata Hari. Watercolor and gouache painting with cloth swatches and original gelatin silver photograph of actress Marisa Mell. Inscribed on painting, To Bob (Robert Ullman) - Optimist Mati Hari, Washington, November 1967 and signed Irene. On the reverse is the following information relating to the Mata Hari production: Marissa Mell, Italian actress. Flop produced by David Merrick, closed in Washington D.C., Directed by Vincente Minelli, Last Broadway show 1956. On the back of the mat Robert Ullman is written in pencil. Photo has a stamp on the reverse for Friedman Abeles. Photograph measures 14 inches high, 17.5 inches wide. Photograph image size 13.5 inches high, 5.3 inches wide. Painting measures 15 inches high, 11 inches wide. Painting image size 14.5 inches high, 7.5 inches wide. Frame measures 21 inches high,17.7 inches wide. In good condition, light foxing and it is taped at top and bottom, not laid down. The original costume design is from the East Hampton estate of Robert Ullman (1922-2019). Robert Ullman was a Broadway theatrical press agent who promoted more than 150 productions, including A Chorus Line which he took from development to a Pulitzer Prize. Irene Sharaff (January 23, 1910-August 16, 1993) was an American costume designer for stage and screen. Her work earned her five Academy Awards and a Tony Award. Sharaff is universally recognized as one of the greatest costume designers of all time. Background Sharaff was born in Boston to parents of Armenian descent. She studied at the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts, the Art Students League of New York, and the Académie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris.After working as a fashion illustrator in her youth, Sharaff turned to set and costume design. Her debut production was the 1931 Broadway production of Alice in Wonderland, starring Eva Le Gallienne. Her use of silks from Thailand for The King and I (1951) created a trend in fashion and interior decoration.[1] Sharaff's work was featured in the movies West Side Story (Academy Award, 1961), Cleopatra (Academy Award, 1963), Meet Me in St. Louis, Hello, Dolly!, Mommie Dearest, The Other Side of Midnight, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Academy Award, 1966), Guys and Dolls, The Best Years of Our Lives, The King and I (Academy Award, 1956), An American in Paris (Academy Award, 1951), Funny Girl and Porgy and Bess. She also designed sets and costumes for American Ballet Theatre, the New York City Ballet, and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and contributed illustrations to fashion magazine's such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. Among her Broadway design credits are Idiot's Delight, Lady in the Dark, As Thousands Cheer, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Virginia, Flower Drum Song, and Jerome Robbins' Broadway. The TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award was named for Sharaff. She was its first recipient in 1993. The award is now bestowed annually to a costume designer who, over the course of his or her career, has achieved great distinction and mastery of the art in theatre, film, opera or dance. Sharaff died in New York City of congestive heart failure, complicated by emphysema, at the age of 83.[1] She bequeathed her collection of books, along with that of her partner, Mai-Mai Sze, to the New York Society Library.[4 From the Easthampton Star: Robert Ullman, a theatrical press agent who promoted more than 150 productions, including "A Chorus Line,” which he took from development to a Pulitzer Prize, died on July 31 in Bay Shore. He was 97 and had been a part-time East Hampton resident. After retiring from the theater, Mr. Ullman and his life partner and eventual husband, Milton Freeman, ran the Collectibles antiques shop in Bridgehampton and 1780 House Antiques in Water Mill. Mr. Freeman, who was known as Mike, died in 2015. Mr. Ullman was born on July 20, 1922, in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Manhattan, to William Ullman and the former Nettie Eisler. His father manufactured topcoats for men. The family moved to West End Avenue in Manhattan in the 1930s. Theater was a family affair for the Ullmans. When his parents saw a Broadway show, they would return with their ticket stubs and Playbills, leaving them at the foot of Mr. Ullman's bed for him to study in the morning. He saw his first show, "Take a Chance,” starring Ethel Merman, when he was 10. Professionally, Mr. Ullman's career started on Off Broadway, before it was called Off Broadway, he would tell friends. He worked on summer stock plays and winter stock, and worked in producers' offices, "anything to stay involved in the theater,” he said, summing up his career. Among his influences were what he described as his "three great mentors,” Bill Doll, Samuel J. Friedman, and Harvey Sabinson. By any measure, Mr. Ullman had an extraordinary career. The list of luminaries he worked with was vast and included Tallulah Bankhead, James Dean, James Earl Jones, Meryl Streep, Eartha Kitt, Cab Calloway, and Zero Mostel. Equally daunting were productions for which he was the publicist. Among these were "Ethel Merman and Mary Martin: Together on Broadway.
Myers Fine Art
Aug. 22, 2018
IRENE SHARAFF (AMERICAN, 1910-1993) Costume Designs (three works) the frst signed 'Sh
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
IRENE SHARAFF (AMERICAN, 1910-1993) Costume Designs (three works) the frst signed 'Sharaf' (lower right); one signed and dated 'Sharaf. 69' (lower right); one signed and inscribed 'Sharaf./ The Rib of Eve./ Dancer.' (lower right) each watercolor, gouache and ink on paper the largest 15 x 10 in. (38.1 x 25.4 cm.) (3)
Christie's
Sep. 24, 2013
Irene Sharaff American, 1910-1993 The Great White Hope, Jane Alexander, 1969
Est: $100 - $200
Irene Sharaff American, 1910-1993 The Great White Hope, Jane Alexander, 1969 Signed Sharaff, dated 69 and inscribed as titled (lr) Watercolor and pencil, heightened with white on paper Sight 14 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches C The Leo Lerman and Gray Foy Collection
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
Sep. 24, 2013
Irene Sharaff American, 1910-1993 Candide
Est: $300 - $500
Irene Sharaff American, 1910-1993 Candide Signed Sharaff (lr) Watercolor and gouache on paper 13 3/4 x 20 1/4 inches C The Leo Lerman and Gray Foy Collection
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
Sep. 20, 2013
Irene Sharaff (American, 1910-1993), Costume Design for Violette Verdy in Le Printemps, Signed and dated "Sharaff 72." l.r., identified
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Irene Sharaff (American, 1910-1993) Costume Design for Violette Verdy in Le Printemps Signed and dated "Sharaff 72." l.r., identified in an inscription on the reverse. Gouache, watercolor, and ink on paper, 14 7/8 x 11 in. (37.8 x 28.0 cm), unmatted, unframed. Condition: Handling creases, mild soiling, cluster of small tack holes to u.c., toning and glue residue to reverse. N.B. Le Printemps is a ballet made for the New York City Ballet by Lorca Massine, set to Debussy's eponymous music from 1887. The premiere took place on January 13, 1972, at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center.
Skinner
Sep. 20, 2013
Irene Sharaff (American, 1910-1993), Costume Design for La Noce, Signed and inscribed "Sharaff...Fumé...La Noce" in pen l.r., Condition
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Irene Sharaff (American, 1910-1993) Costume Design for La Noce Signed and inscribed "Sharaff...Fumé...La Noce" in pen l.r. Gouache and ink on Arches MBM paper, sheet size 15 x 11 in. (38.1 x 27.9 cm), unframed. Condition: Tack holes to corners.
Skinner
Sep. 20, 2013
Irene Sharaff (American, 1910-1993), Sheet with Four Costume Designs for Mata Hari, c. 1967, Titled and signed "Mata Hari/Sharaff" l.c.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Irene Sharaff (American, 1910-1993) Sheet with Four Costume Designs for Mata Hari, c. 1967 Titled and signed "Mata Hari/Sharaff" l.c., inscribed "M.H./Ballet" u.l. Gouache and ink on paper, sight size 14 1/2 x 21 1/2 in. (36.8 x 54.6 cm), framed. Condition: Toning, not examined out of frame. N.B. Producer David Merrick's musical Mata Hari, with choreography by Jack Cole, directed by Vincente Minelli, scenery and lighting by Jo Mielziner, costumes by Irene Sharaff, had a disastrous opening at the National Theater in Washington, D.C., November 18, 1967. It closed before ever reaching New York.
Skinner