Recently, we reported on a conversation we had with Mort Walker, regarding the difficulties he’s had over the years with his attempts to keep his Cartoon Museum open, and his statement that the art from the collection was in storage in Connecticut. Over at the Comicon.com boards, Rick Veitch reports that some of the art donated to the collection is being sold off to pay the museum’s debts, after he found a cover to HEARTBURST which he donated being sold on eBay.
I’ve been in touch with Mort and he’s crying the blues about losing millions and needing to sell artwork to pay creditors.
I honestly wouldn’t mind him selling the stuff if he’s under the gun. It’s just that dumping it en masse to dealers, who in turn dump it on ebay, hurts both the museum and the artists. It also hurts any future museum that might hope for donations from artists.
To put it in perspective, I recently had a black and white cover sell for $1600 at the Helen Day Gallery in Stowe, Vermont. To have a fullly painted cover go for $500 on ebay is terrible.
If they need to sell the stuff, they should do it right to maximize the money they make and not undermine the market for the artists’ work. Taking the easy way of dumping it to dealers is a lose/lose situation.
If anyone sees the page from MIRACLEMAN#9 out there, please let me know immediately.
Veitch’s King Hell publishing is preparing a new edition of HEARTBURST as a companion volume to SHINY BEASTS and ABRAXAS AND THE EARTHMAN.
velly stlange. Just re-read Heartburst last nite.
Very sad, but having visited the place in Boca… not at all surprised. Very Mort-centric, to put it gently.
Locating in Boca Raton was a very bad idea to start with.
Hardly a central (or even convenient) location.
Well, Boca was where Mort wanted to play golf… and the local Community Development people (or whatever they’re called) sold him a bill of goods. Or gave him one. Their were “incentives.”