William Steig Paintings & Artwork for Sale | William Steig Art Value Price Guide

Oct. 19, 2024
Original 1940s American World War II Loose Lips Poster
Est: $400 - $500
Steig, William 1907 - 2003 Loose talk can cost lives Offset 1942 20 x 14.1 in. (51 x 36 cm) Printer: no information Condition Details: (A) minor creasing at the edges#USA #World War II #Espionage
PosterConnection Inc.
Jun. 27, 2024
WILLIAM STEIG - ILLUSTRATIONS, GROUP OF 4
Est: $800 - $1,200
Lot 48 William Steig American (1907-2003) Illustrations, Group of 4 gouache on paper each signed lower left sight (each): 12 x 8 3/4 inches frame dimensions (each): 18 x 15 x 3/4 inches, wood frame with glazing Provenance: From the Estate of Margery Druss each with Gallery of Graphic Arts, New York, NY label affixed to verso
Capsule Gallery Auction
Jun. 20, 2024
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) Archive of drawings and letters.
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) Archive of drawings and letters. Group of letters, mostly to send thanks for gifts, with 5 accompanying drawings to Mary Allen, 1978-1985. 8 items, various sizes up to 12 x 9 inches. Mixed media including ink and wash on paper. All drawings signed by Steig. 4 of the 5 drawings are inscribed.
Swann Auction Galleries
Mar. 21, 2024
William Steig Mixed Media Drawing Reconnaissance
Est: $300 - $400
William Steig (American, 1907-2003). Mixed media cartoon drawing with ink and wash, Reconnaissance. Signed in ink lower left below the image Wm. Steig and titled in pencil lower right. Sight 9 3/4" x 8" (with frame 16 1/2" x 13 3/4"). Some mat burn to sheet and toning to mat.
Willow Auction House
Mar. 03, 2024
William Steig "Home Restaurant" Mixed Media
Est: $400 - $600
William Steig (American, 1907-2003), "Home Restaurant", Mixed Media Ink and Watercolor on Paper, signed lower left. Sheet: 13.75" H x 10.5" W. Provenance: From a New York City collection. Keywords: Works on paper, Painting, Drawing, Illustration, Cartoon, Figural
Auctions at Showplace
Feb. 29, 2024
LOOSE TALK CAN COST LIVES WWII POSTER WILLIAM STEIG
Est: $200 - $400
Original WWII American national defense lithographed poster 'Loose Talk Can Cost Lives', published 1942, British and Ambulance Corps New York City. Illustration by William Steig (1907-2003). 20 x 14 inches.
Fairhill Auction LLC
Dec. 14, 2023
WILLIAM STEIG "Questioning of Prisoner"
Est: $750 - $1,000
WILLIAM STEIG "Questioning of Prisoner" Cartoon published in The New Yorker, February 13, 1943. Pen and ink on paper. 229x191 mm; 9x7 1/2 inches. Matted and framed to 18x15 inches. Signed in lower right image.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 15, 2023
STEIG, WILLIAM (1907-2003) "The Time Reader as seen by Wm. Steig."
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
STEIG, WILLIAM (1907-2003) "The Time Reader as seen by Wm. Steig." Pen and ink wash on paper; 28 1/2 x 20 1/2 inches. Possibly a design for a Young & Rubican advertising campaign to increase Time Magazine's readership, 1950s Matted and framed. Besides drawing his famous New Yorker cartoons and writing and illustrating award-winning children's books, William Steig did a lot of advertising that he hated. He is perhaps best remembered today for having created the character Shrek. Here he depicts the typical reader of Time in post-war America as a college man, traveller, community man, good provider and decision maker—just another man in a grey flannel suit. Nd, 1950s
Swann Auction Galleries
Mar. 30, 2023
WILLIAM STEIG ILLUSTRATED & AUTHORED VOLUMES
Est: $50 - $1,000
Approx. (21). Titles by William Steig, some with illustrations. Titles as photographed. Dimensions: (Stack) H 10" x W 12" x D 9" Condition: All used. A few with dust jackets.
Westport Auction
Aug. 08, 2022
William Steig (1907-2003) Original Book Illustrations HOW TO BECOME EXTINCT (4)
Est: $400 - $800
KING OF CARTOONS-WILLIAM STEIG. Four original illustrations published in the book HOW TO BECOME EXTINCT by Will Cuppy, 1983. These four drawings were published in the chapter: Reptiles I'm Always Meeting. Pen and ink on paper. Dimensions: full sheet 11 1/4 inches x 7 1/2 inches. Condition: good original estate condition. Provenance: New York City, NY Estate. *William Steig was the author of the childrens' picture book SHREK more than a decade before the animated movie was released...PLUS known for his illustrations and cartoons for The New Yorker starting in 1930 for nearly 70 years, with more than 120 covers and over 1600 of his drawings published.
Kensington Estate Auctions
Jun. 09, 2022
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) "Reptiles I'm Always Meeting."
Est: $1,200 - $1,800
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) "Reptiles I'm Always Meeting." Group of four studies for illustrations in the Chapter named above, published in How to Become Extinct, by Will Cuppy (Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press, 1983). Pen and ink on paper. Average image size is 76x102 mm; 3x4 inches, on 11 1/4x7 1/2-inch sheets. All captioned in lower margins, only one initialed "WS" by Steig ("Own your own snake"). Illustrations: The Garter Snake, The Glass Snake, Own Your Own Snake, and The Rattlesnake.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 09, 2022
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) Hunting with hound.
Est: $700 - $1,000
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) Hunting with hound. Illustration for Mount Tremblant Ski Resort, circa 1938. Watercolor and ink on Whatman board. 203x405 mm; 8x16 inches, image, on 14 1/4x22-inch board. Signed "W. Steig" in lower left image. In 1938, Philadelphian Joseph B. Ryan traveled to Canada and built a world class ski resort at Mount Tremblant. It remains part of the town's Pedestrian Village. He commissioned Steig to create a series of lighthearted outdoor sporting scenes for the resort's bar area.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 09, 2022
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) Diving and Swimming.
Est: $700 - $1,000
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) Diving and Swimming. Illustration for Mount Tremblant Ski Resort, circa 1938. Watercolor and ink on Whatman board. 203x405 mm; 8x16 inches, image, on 14 1/4x22-inch board. Signed "W. Steig" in lower left image. In 1938, Philadelphian Joseph B. Ryan traveled to Canada and built a world class ski resort at Mount Tremblant. It remains part of the town's Pedestrian Village. He commissioned Steig to create a series of lighthearted outdoor sporting scenes for the resort's bar area.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 09, 2022
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) Honey, I'm home!
Est: $600 - $900
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) Honey, I'm home! Illustration for unidentified story. Ink on cream wove paper mounted to board. 190x330 mm; 7 1/2x13 inches, image, on 13x18 1/2-inch board. Signed "W. Steig" in lower right image. Taped to window matte.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 09, 2022
Steig (William) Shrek!, first edition, signed by the author, New York, 1990.
Est: £200 - £300
NO RESERVE Steig (William) Shrek!, first edition, signed by the author to front free endpapers, original boards, spine ends very lightly bumped with small closed tear to tail, otherwise a bright and near-fine copy, 4to, New York, 1990.
Forum Auctions - UK
May. 31, 2022
William Steig (1907-2003)
Est: $300 - $500
William Steig (1907-2003) Illustration Art. 2 pencil on paper drawings, c. 1976, possible illustrations for The New Yorker magazine, for whom Steig was a famous illustrator of humorous cartoons. These amusing illustrations of a pharaoh and female pharaoh (or perhaps Cleopatra) almost certainly dates to 1976, when the traveling blockbuster exhibition "King Tut" appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, touching off a fad for all things related to Tut. Saugerties Antiques Gallery. Size: 5.5'' x 3.5'', 14 x 9 cm (sight); 12.75'' x 14.75'', 32 x 37 cm (frame). Provenance: Saugerties Antiques Gallery; Private Pennsylvania Collection.
Material Culture
May. 21, 2022
Steig, William. 4 Figures. Vier Federzeichnugen auf Velin. 1 Blatt verso mit weiterer Zeichnung.
Est: €360 -
Steig, William 4 Figures. Vier Federzeichnugen auf Velin. 1 Blatt verso mit weiterer Zeichnung. 1 Arbeit links unten signiert. Blattgrößen von 6,5 x 3,5 cm bis 7,8 x 4,6 cm. Alle auf einen Papierbogen montiert. Bogen fest unter Passepartout montiert. Vier Zeichnungen in schwarzer Tinte (2 auf braunem, 2 auf hellem Velin) des US-amerikanischen Cartoonzeichners und Kinderbuchautors William Steig (1907-2003). - Wohl vom Künstler selbst auf gestalteten Bogen sowie unter dekoriertes Passepartout montiert. - Zeichnungen randgebräunt bzw. gebräunt und etwas fleckig, Bogen im Passepartout-Ausschnitt nachgebräunt und fleckig, Passepartout mit Wasserflecken und Altersspuren. VAT # Modern Art
Nosbüsch & Stucke GmbH
May. 18, 2022
William Steig (American, 1907 - 2003)
Est: $300 - $500
Pen and Ink cartoons on a single sheet with mounted printed text. 13 x 9 1/2; 20 1/2 x 16 1/2 inches (overall). Provenance: Eric Schlubach Estate (Schlubach was an account executive at Young & Rubicam, NYC, in the 1950s).
Vallot Auctioneers
Apr. 25, 2022
MAURICE SENDAK – STEIG, William (1907-2003). Five first editions inscribed,
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
MAURICE SENDAK – STEIG, William (1907-2003). Five first editions inscribed, with drawings, to Maurice Sendak, New York, 1971-1976. A lovely group of first editions in dust jackets, all warmly…
Christie's
Mar. 06, 2022
WILLIAM STEIG (AMERICAN, 1907-2003).
Est: $400 - $600
Mixed media on paper. Cartoon. Signed lower right. From a New York collection.
Clarke Auction Gallery
Dec. 12, 2021
(5) William Steig (1907 - 2003) NY, Pen & Ink
Est: $400 - $600
(5) William Steig (1907 - 2003) NY, Pen & Ink Drawings. He was an American cartoonist, sculptor, and, in his later life, an illustrator and writer of children's books. Best known for the picture books Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Abel's Island, and Doctor De Soto, he was also the creator of Shrek!, which inspired the film series of the same name. He was the U.S. nominee for both of the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Awards, as a children's book illustrator in 1982 and a writer in 1988. Condition commensurate with age. egypt: 11 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. others: 11 1/4 x 7 1/2 in.
Sarasota Estate Auction
Dec. 12, 2021
(7) William Steig (1907 - 2003) NY, Pen & Ink
Est: $400 - $600
(7) William Steig (1907 - 2003) NY, Pen & Ink Drawings. He was an American cartoonist, sculptor, and, in his later life, an illustrator and writer of children's books. Best known for the picture books Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Abel's Island, and Doctor De Soto, he was also the creator of Shrek!, which inspired the film series of the same name. He was the U.S. nominee for both of the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Awards, as a children's book illustrator in 1982 and a writer in 1988. Book included. Condition commensurate with age. (7) Pages size: 9 1/2 x 5 3/4 in. Book size: 6 1/2 x 4 1/4 in.
Sarasota Estate Auction
Nov. 19, 2021
WILLIAM STEIG ORIGINAL NEW YORKER CARTOON DRAWING
Est: $100 - $150
William Steig (American, 1907-2003), original cartoon drawing for The New Yorker Magazine. Signed under the character's foot with run size written in pencil across bottom of the illustration. Pre-computer illustrations were drawn larger and reduced on camera for page placement. Dimensions are: 9 7/8 inches tall X 8 inches wide; 25.08 cm tall X 20.32 cm wide. All measurements are approximate.
Oakridge Auction Gallery
Jun. 24, 2021
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) "'Bats and Barnacles!' Ebenezer exclaimed..."
Est: $2,500 - $3,500
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) "'Bats and Barnacles!' Ebenezer exclaimed..." Study for the illustration in Steig's Farmer Palmer's Wagon Ride (New York: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1974). Mixed Media, including watercolor, ink and graphite on paper. 203x216 mm; 8x8 1/2 inches, on 10 1/2x10-inch sheet. Signed "W. Steig" in lower image. Archivally framed. A copy of the 1992 paperback edition accompanies the artwork. A colorful and humorous variant illustration of the role reversal when donkey Ebenezer and Farmer Palmer the pig switch cart positions on their periled trip back from an otherwise successful market day. The published version differs in detail but maintains the basic composition and coloring.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 05, 2021
WILLIAM STEIG AMERICAN 1907-2003
Est: $600 - $900
Put Islands in the Background Please, pen and ink with gouache highlights, 14 1/4 x 13 1/2 in (36.2 x 34.3 cm), signed lower right, inscribed and titled lower middle
Trinity International Auctions & Appraisals, LLC
Feb. 05, 2021
William Steig
Est: $100 - $150
(1907 - 2003) American cartoonist and author of beloved children's book such as Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, the Doctor De Soto series, and Shrek. Signed book, Steig's "C D B!" (New York: Windmill Books), 1968, 44pp. 8vo. Steig signs on the front flyleaf in black ink, adding a dedication. Shows slight fading and bumps to the cloth covers, with fading and small tears to the edges of the original dust jacket, else very good.
Merrill's Auctioneers & Appraisers
Nov. 17, 2020
STEIG, WILLIAM. Ink and watercolor drawing Signed, "W. Steig," in ink at lower right,
Est: $400 - $600
STEIG, WILLIAM. Ink and watercolor drawing Signed, "W. Steig," in ink at lower right, showing Gorky standing with his parents, with holograph caption, in pencil: "Unused title page illustration for Gorky Rises." 7 1/2x11 inches; faint soiling at left edge. Np, circa 1980
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 01, 2020
William Steig (1907 - 2003) I MIND MY OWN BUSINESS Vintage Print
Est: $400 - $600
William Steig (1907 - 2003) I MIND MY OWN BUSINESS Vintage Print measures 16 x 11 .5 inches
Cutler Bay Auctions
Aug. 11, 2020
William Steig (1907 - 2003) I MIND MY OWN BUSINESS Vintage Print
Est: $450 - $650
William Steig (1907 - 2003) I MIND MY OWN BUSINESS Vintage Print measures 16 x 11 .5 inches
Cutler Bay Auctions
Jul. 21, 2020
Washington Square Art Exhibition. 1933.
Est: $800 - $1,000
ARTIST: WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) SIZE: 10 1/8 x 13 in./25.7 x 33 cm PRINTER: Exploitation Printers, New York City DESCRIPTION: From 1930-1935, the Washington Square Art Show commissioned four artists to create a poster for the event: James Thurber (see No. 463), Otto Soglow, George Grosz, and William Steig each took a turn. They are all playful and lighthearted, though Steig's is arguably the most humorous: we imagine this artist's son is sneakily attempting to beg off with this portrait of a nude woman. (Art Deco; Exhibitions; American; New York)
Poster Auctions International Inc
Jul. 16, 2020
WILLIAM STEIG. "`Bats and Barnacles!' Ebenezer exclaimed..." [CHILDREN'S / PIGS / DONKEYS]
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
WILLIAM STEIG. "`Bats and Barnacles!' Ebenezer exclaimed..." Story illustration for Steig's Farmer Palmer's Wagon Ride (New York: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1974). Mixed Media, including watercolor, ink and graphite on paper. Image measures 203x216 mm; 8x8 1/2 inches. Archivally framed to 12 1/2x13 1/2 inches. A copy of the 1992 paperback edition accompanies the artwork. A colorful and humorous illustration of the role reversal when donkey Ebenezer and Farmer Palmer the pig switch cart positions on their periled trip back from an otherwise successful market day. Full-color storybook illustrations by Steig do not come to auction often, and this one is particularly charming.
Swann Auction Galleries
May. 09, 2020
William Steig (1907-2003) 1942 Poster "Get in The Scrap" Rubber and Metal Collection Depot
Est: $300 - $500
William Steig (1907-2003) 1942 Poster "Get in The Scrap" Rubber and Metal Collection Depot: National Printing and Eng. Co. Chicago. Measures 57.5" x 39.75". Condition issues include pin holes at corners, tape on edge, and tear at bottom. Historical poster by Steig who started at the New Yorker back in 1930.
Dana J. Tharp Auctions
Feb. 22, 2020
William Steig and Jerry G.Arnold
Est: $200 - $400
William Steig (American, MA,NY, 1907-2003) and Jerry G.Arnold (American, Cleveland School, 20thc.) Rooster Playing the Guitar in Moonlight with Flowers,Â ink and watercolor on paper, signed by both artists, lower right, matted and framed. 12 x 10 in. image size 25 x 21 in. as framed Condition: Very good with no damage or repair
Neue Auctions
Feb. 08, 2020
William Steig lithograph
Est: $60 - $90
William Steig (American 1907-2003)- ''Population Study''- lithograph in colors, signed and numbered 16/50 in pencil. 21 x 28 1/2''
Rachel Davis Fine Arts
Dec. 05, 2019
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. Original illustration for Fortune, c. 1953, ink over pencil,
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. Original illustration for Fortune, c. 1953, ink over pencil, 210 x 115 mm, signed in ink lower left ('W. Steig') with printer's marks on verso. Published: William H. Whyte Jr., 'The Executive's Problem: The Executive,' Fortune, January 1954, p. 79. WITH: Two unidentified pen-and-ink drawings, 120 x 115 mm and 140 x 105 mm, both signed lower left, possibly unpublished, glue residue on verso of the smaller one. Provenance: William Steig, the artist; by descent. As the son of socialists, William Steig was ambivalent about working for Fortune. After all he never tried climbing the corporate ladder himself. This drawing shows a businessman in pursuit of a bird in flight while being held back by three colleagues, the bird is missing from the published version. The first of the two additional drawings shows a businessman gleefully riding a roller coaster and the larger of the two depicts a man gingerly stepping through a minefield of words and is identified on verso as 'a page of handwriting.' For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Dec. 05, 2019
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. 35 original drawings for Fortune, 'How Hard Do Executives Work?'
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. 35 original drawings for Fortune, 'How Hard Do Executives Work?' [c.1953], ink and/or pencil, various sizes, two signed in ink ('W. Steig') and some editorial comments and printer's marks. Published: William H. Whyte Jr., 'How Hard Do Executives Work?' Fortune, January 1954, pp. 108-111. Provenance: William Steig, the artist; by descent. A collection of original drawings for an article in Fortune, including 13 finished pen-and-ink drawings, only seven (of eight) were published in the article. There are three versions of 'Conformity' (published as 'I feel swell'). An alternative of the published one of the businessman being pursued by a dollar shows him pursuing an apple. There are two entirely different ones of the man with the phone for an ear as well as the one published as 'It's all so much fun' and a photostat of a similar abandoned sketch ( 'It's work but I enjoy it'). The remaining 22 drawings are preliminary pencil sketches of unused ideas for the same article. The signature on the headpiece on page 108 was cut out, but Steig resigned it below the drawing on the left. Includes a copy of the magazine. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Dec. 05, 2019
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. Original maquette for The Agony in the Kindergarten,
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. Original maquette for The Agony in the Kindergarten, 222 pp, drawn and annotated in ink and pencil, with typed slips pasted-in for front-matter, in commercial black card sketch book stamped 'Sketch Book' to upper cover, 240 x 185 mm, [New York, ca. 1950,] with earlier pencil and ink versions of the published work, heavily annotated by Steig indicating placement of images and captions. WITH: 69 loose finished drawings for the book (plus five photostats), ca. 1950, ink, graphite and/or color pencil, various sizes, five drawings signed ('Steig' or 'W. Steig') and most with printers' marks, some wear and discoloring. Published: The Agony in the Kindergarten, New York: Duell Sloan and Pearce, 1950. Provenance: William Steig, the artist; by descent. MAQUETTE AND FINISHED DRAWINGS FOR ONE OF STEIG'S MOST IMPORTANT ADULT BOOKS. This archive traces the evolution of Steig's wonderfully dark The Agony in the Kindergarten, his often disturbing exploration of the little traumas of childhood. 'Despair is the human condition,' he told The New York Times in 1972. 'I always felt that something went wrong and it was my business to find out what happened.' The maquette shows the placement of each image and caption within a 222-page sketch book of earlier versions of the published art (with a few stats), the whole copiously annotated by the artist. The additional 69 finished childlike drawings and photostats formed much of the published book; and discarded sketches may be found on the versos of some of the final art. The commentary is typed below nearly all of these designs. The text that appears opposite the pictures in the book comprises common insensitive and often cruel remarks adults make about children ('That brat needs a good spanking,' 'Shut up!,' 'What the hell does she want now'). 'They're not actual people,' Steig explained, 'they're character traits,' representing the fears and anxieties of early youth. Steig supplied a quote from William Blake to serve as the book's motto; and his brother Arthur provided the foreword in verse in the manner of Blake ('Who gave him shame?/They who were lame;/They taught their pain/All over again'). The author dedicated the book to controversial psychiatrist Dr. Wilhelm Reich, who Steig said saved his life. '... the surreal drawings of The Agony in the Kindergarten were perhaps [Steig's] most brilliant breakthrough into a purer kind of art, but his representations of childhood have always implied a continuity with adult experience; children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us' (John Updike, 'Introduction,' The World of William Steig, 1998, p. 6). Ironically Steig's childhood was the happiest period of his life; and he often looked back to those early days when creating his popular prize-winning children's books. Includes a copy of the first edition of the book. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Dec. 05, 2019
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. 52 original pen-and-ink drawings plus one signed photostat of the jacket drawing for Till Death Do Us Part,
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. 52 original pen-and-ink drawings plus one signed photostat of the jacket drawing for Till Death Do Us Part, 140 x 120 mm each, each drawing captioned and signed in ink ('Wm. Steig') and one labeled on verso of mount ('William Steig R. D. 2 Cream Ridge N. J.'), all but the stat mounted on heavy colored paper and many with overlays, some printer's marks and a few mounts damaged. Published: Till Death Do Us Part: Some Ballet Notes on Marriage, New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1947. Provenance: William Steig, the artist; by descent. William Steig's masterwork on the Battle of the Sexes. Picasso's influence is evident on these little depictions of the clichés of love, and Steig's witty drawings look forward to Tomi Ungerer's The Underground Sketchbook (1964). The dexterous line drawings are often amusing and at other times sardonic. The verso of the mount of 'Meet the Wife' is rubberstamped 'N. Y. Times.' When the Times devoted a double-page spread to Steig's drawings of 'Marriage' on February 23, 1947, book reviewer Charles Poore asked him his attitude toward the institution. 'I like it,' he replied. 'I'm glad to endorse it.' Apparently he did: he married four times. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Dec. 05, 2019
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. Four original drawings for The New Yorker, c. 1940s-1950s,
Est: $1,200 - $1,800
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. Four original drawings for The New Yorker, c. 1940s-1950s, ink and wash with some white paint, 125 x 143 mm each, each signed in ink ('Steig' or 'W. Steig') with printer's marks and New Yorker rubberstamp on versos, some soiling and glue residue on versos not affecting images. Provenance: William Steig, the artist; by descent. For many readers, William Steig was The New Yorker. In the six decades he worked for the magazine, he contributed 121 covers and more than 1,600 drawings. 'Recently I have had the occasion to examine thousands of cartoons that have appeared in The New Yorker,' art editor James Geraghty assured Steig in a letter. 'One of the impressions remaining to me from this ordeal is the conviction that it would probably not be too extravagant to surmise that in all the history of graphic expressiveness your genius is unsurpassed: for sensitivity and comic perception of the human plight; for loveliness of line, for constant renewal, constant freshness' (see Roger Angell, The New Yorker, October 20, 2003). Only one of this quartet is captioned by the artist ('I'm afraid it's all up here, Mr. Botts'), and depicts a doctor pointing to his head while seated at a patient's bedside. The others show two gentlemen on a couch, discussing a contract; a shrink held up at gunpoint; and most typically of Steig, a married couple fighting over a phone call. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Dec. 05, 2019
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. 58 original ink and wash drawings for About People, each individually titled by the artist in pencil with printers' notes on versos,
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
STEIG, WILLIAM. 1907-2003. 58 original ink and wash drawings for About People, each individually titled by the artist in pencil with printers' notes on versos, various sizes, each signed in ink ('Wm. Steig'), some glue residue at top from previous mounting but not affecting images. WITH: Autograph Note Signed ('Wm. Steig') to an editor or art director: 'John--Here it is. Don't lose it. Bill.' Published: About People, New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1939. Provenance: William Steig, the artist; by descent. Bill Steig was one of the most admired cartoonists of his generation. Selling his first cartoon to Harold Ross in 1930, he became one of the longest running contributors to The New Yorker in the magazine's history. Steig admitted that he had the greatest admiration for Pablo Picasso, whose influence is apparent in much of his more 'serious' work. In 1936, Steig began making drawings of various states of mind, his 'symbolic drawings,' and collected them in About People and other books. His brother Arthur explains in the foreword: 'Here unconscious experiences are for the first time given a plastic expression that is neither innate or absolute (as in surrealistic works), but organized, and related in specific terms to the real world.' The book is full of archetypal neurotics. Ross turned down these drawings as not being funny enough to appear in The New Yorker. But they were praised by his sister-in-law, anthropologist Margaret Mead. 'Mr. Steig has the rare faculty of sensing the essentials of human nature and the capacity of depicting them in a most poignant manner,' wrote noted psychologist and Freud's translator Dr. A. A. Brill. As apparent from these perceptive and sometimes haunting sketches, Steig suffered from severe depression and eventually sought treatment from controversial psychologist Wilhelm Reich. He even purchased an orgone box and an orgone blanket despite their being called frauds by the government. Steig credited Dr. Reich with saving him and dedicated one of his books to him. Three drawings ('Self-satisfaction,' p 37; 'Self-consciousness,' p 38; and 'Loss of a memory,' p 94) are rubberstamped on the versos 'Random House' and that they were reproduced in Life, January 8, 1940, pp. 52-53. Sold with a copy of the first edition in frayed dust jacket. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Aug. 07, 2019
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003). WASHINGTON SQUARE / OUTDOOR ART EXHIBITION. 1933. 13x10 inches, 33x25 cm. Exploitation Printers, New York.
Est: $400 - $600
WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) WASHINGTON SQUARE / OUTDOOR ART EXHIBITION. 1933. 13x10 inches, 33x25 1/2 cm. Exploitation Printers, New York. Condition A-: slight foxing and darkening at edges. Printed on card.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 17, 2019
[NEW YORKER ARTISTS] STEIG, WILLIAM (1907-2003). Two Drawings. The Ground Sloth and The Dinosaur from Will Cuppy How to become extinct.
Est: $400 - $600
[NEW YORKER ARTISTS] STEIG, WILLIAM (1907-2003). Two Drawings. The Ground Sloth and The Dinosaur from Will Cuppy How to become extinct. Ink on paper, one signed (l.l.) in drawing. Sheets 11 1/4 x 9 1/2 inches (29 x 24 cm). Some surface soiling, traces of old graphite cropping marks, partially erased; Together with two political cartoon by Peter Arno for The New York Herald Tribune . Both ink on paper with crayon and watercolor, one present in two versions (recto and verso of the sheet). 7 3/4 x 12 inches (20 x 31 cm). Minor surface soiling, printer''s notations; and a Helen Hokinson cartoon, uncaptioned. Ink and watercolor on thin illustration board. Surface somewhat soiled and toned, edges worn. Sold with a copy of Steig''s Small Fry, with a small drawing by Steig of the boy in the cartoon, a presentation "To Will [perhaps Cuppy] with love from Bill." Estate of Robin Gottlieb
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
Apr. 11, 2019
1933 William Steig, Washington Square Broadside
Est: $170 - $300
1933, William Steig (American, 1907 - 2003) Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibition April 29th - May 7th. Plate signed 'Wm. Steig'. Measures 13 in. x 10 in. VG/VG-EX. Unframed, loose and not mounted or glued down. If lot is absent of a condition report a condition report may be requested via email. Condition report is provided as an opinion only and is no guarantee as grading can be subjective. Buyer must view photographs or scans to assist in determining condition and ask further questions if so desired. We ship most items in this auction in house and gladly combine shipping if possible of multiple items.
Grant Zahajko Auctions, LLC
Feb. 24, 2019
Washington Square Art Exhibition. 1933.
Est: $800 - $1,000
ARTIST: WILLIAM STEIG (1907-2003) SIZE: 10 x 13 in./25.4 x 33 cm PRINTER: Exploitation Printers, New York City DESCRIPTION: From 1930-1935, the Washington Square Art Show commissioned four artists to create a poster for the event: James Thurber, Otto Soglow, George Grosz, and William Steig each took a turn. They are all playful and lighthearted, though Steig's is arguably the most humorous: we imagine this artist's son is sneakily attempting to beg off with this portrait of a nude woman. (New York; Art Exhibitions)
Poster Auctions International Inc
Jan. 31, 2019
William Steig Art Exhibition Lithograph
Est: $50 - $100
William Steig (American 1907 - 2003) art exhibition lithograph. Signed in plate "Wm Steig" lower left of image. Title "Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibition, April 29th - May 7th" printed under image. Printer information "Exploitation Printers 20 West 22nd St., N.Y.C." printed lower right. Measures 8-1/8" x 9" image size and 10-1/8" x 13" sheet size. Unframed, loose and not mounted or glued down. Provenance: Amity Art Foundation, Inc. collection. We ship most items in this auction in house and gladly combine shipping if possible of multiple items.
Grant Zahajko Auctions, LLC
Nov. 15, 2018
William Steig Original Lithograph
Est: $100 - $200
William Steig (1907 - 2003) original lithograph. Pencil signed "Wm. Steig" lower right. Numbered in pencil "20/80" lower left. Measures 30" x 22.5" (76.25cm x 57cm) sheet size. Ex/Ex+ condition. Unframed, loose and not glued or mounted. Provenance: Amity Art Foundation, Inc. collection. We ship most items in this auction in house and gladly combine shipping if possible of multiple items.
Grant Zahajko Auctions, LLC
Nov. 13, 2018
STEIG, WILLIAM (1907-2003) The Perfect Wife.
Est: $600 - $800
STEIG, WILLIAM (1907-2003) The Perfect Wife. Original drawing. Ink and watercolor on paper, signed (l.l.) in drawing. 12 x 9 inches (30 x 22.5 cm). Mounted in several places to a paper backing sheet. C From the Estate of Alexander King
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
Oct. 25, 2018
William Steig; Art Exhibition Poster
Est: $50 - $100
William Steig; Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibition Poster. Ca 1933. Approximate size 13" x 10". Good condition. Unframed, loose and not glued or mounted. Provenance: Amity Art Foundation, Inc. collection. We ship most items in this auction in house and gladly combine shipping if possible of multiple items.
Grant Zahajko Auctions, LLC