Pinocchio tops Bonhams' entertainment sale

16 June 2010 - by ArtfixDaily Staff

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A Gustaf Tenggren preliminary watercolor from "Pinocchio" 1940, watercolor on paper.

(Bonhams & Butterfields)

A rare preliminary watercolor from the 1940 animated classic Pinocchio brought on fierce bidding up to $30,500 at Bonhams & Butterfields' June 13 entertainment memorabilia auction in Los Angeles.

The crisply detailed watercolor was created by famed children's book and cartoon illustrator Gustaf Tenggren for the Oscar-winning® Walt Disney film. The scene depicts Pinocchio running into the wayward characters Gideon and J. Worthington Foulfellow on a cobbled street in the puppet's quaint Bavarian village.

The sale also featured several highly-contested lots related to Charles Schulz's beloved Peanuts characters. A Charles Schulz Peanuts daily depicting Lucy interviewing Snoopy for her school paper went for $14,640 from a pre-sale estimate of $7,000 to 9,000.

Also offered were pieces from Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe, as well as countless movie posters and vintage animation cells.

A Jim Morrison signed copy of "The New Creatures" together with "The Lords/Notes on Vision," 1969, fetched $5,795 (est. $2,000 - 2,500).

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