FRAZETTA'S CONAN COVER SETS RECORD

Need a few extra mil? If you're the Frazetta family, just put one of his paintings up for auction. Last week bidding closed at Heritage on Frazetta's original for the Lancer paperback, CONAN. The scene depicts a scene from the story "Rogues in the House", first published in WEIRD TALES (January 1934). When the gavel dropped it sold for $13,500,000, instantly becoming, as Heritage puts it, "currently the highest auction result for any Frazetta work and any Comic or Fantasy artwork globally".

NOTE: There is one minor error in the following description: CONAN is a collection of short stories and not a full-length novel.

Auction Lot Description:

Frank Frazetta Conan Novel Cover Painting Original Art (Lancer/Ace, 1967). This quintessential image of Robert E. Howard's famed barbarian is easily one of the (if not the) most desirable of Frazetta's Conan-related covers, and one of the small handful of greatest paintings ever created by the towering artist. "This painting by Frank Frazetta is one of the most recognizable and iconic images of Conan the Cimmerian", according to noted Robert E. Howard historian Mark Finn, who went on to say, "This scene is from the story 'Rogues in the House' wherein Conan fights the man-ape Thak." In addition to the definitive image of Conan, which went on to serve as the template for the pop culture figure, the dynamic composition and bold, inventive palette are Frazetta at his peak. The artist frequently brought up his emphasis on creating movement through an image, which both leads the eye to the focal point and provides a visual narrative that continues to resonate after multiple viewings -- a key to the artist's enduring popularity and acclaim and as aspect perhaps more evident in this painting than any ever created throughout his storied oeuvre. The blood red of the creature's cape is a brilliant device that lodges the image into a viewer's mind, one that is never forgotten.

"Man Ape," as it has also come to be known, was completed in 1966 and published as the cover for Conan of the 1967 Lancer/Ace Books reprints, which were immediately a huge hit due in huge part to Frazetta's powerful cover paintings. Beginning with this series the artist completely reinvented fantasy illustration for an entire generation. The Conan paintings serves as the lightning bolt of an opening - and in our minds most important and revolutionary - salvo. This imagery defined the character and was instrumental in making the Conan resurgence of the late 1960s a mass market success, which ultimately lead to the Marvel Comics book series and the later series of feature films. As such the pop cultural impact can't be overstated. Frazetta masterfully personified elements of the Howard's now classic tales to create absolutely indelible images, none more so than Man Ape, which was subsequently reproduced almost endlessly as a poster as well as on comic book covers. Created in oil on a 16" x 20" canvas wrapped board. Open-front framed to 22.5" x 26.5". The piece is signed and noted "© 74" in the mid-to-lower left. The reverse side of the board is dated "Nov. 1967", which looks to be a production notation from a publisher.

The painting presents absolutely beautifully, and aside from some minor evidence of handling and faint surface wear commensurate with age, as well as a few minor touches of inpaint visible only under blacklight, the painting is in overall stunning Excellent condition, reflecting the fact that this masterpiece has remained with the artist and his family since its creation.

"Rogues in the House" by Robert E. Howard (WEIRD TALES, January 1934)

Cover art by Margaret Brundage.