The Joy of Collecting Animation Art

I am an avid collector of animation art. My areas of specialty are vintage Disney and gasp! naked Simpsons cels. Quite diverse, I know, but that’s what collecting is all about: individual taste. My collection gives me a lot of joy; that’s why I collect. Part of it is enjoying the art for arts sake, and the rest of it is the thrill of the hunt. I hope and I hope and I hope for a few pieces that will nicely fill some holes in my collection. But alas, if I find them, then the hunt is over! What’s a girl to do?

However, it never fails to amaze me that just when I think I have all but those elusive last few pieces, BAM I run across a piece that I just can’t live without! As some of you know, some pieces once seen must be owned- even those that I never dreamed I would have in my collection. I have also purchased pieces that I am extremely, extremely pleased with that are from films I have never seen. On the flip side, I have recently acquired a piece that I have hunted for for nine years: a great Cinderella in her ball gown. Now, if I can only find the elusive twitterpattered Thumper, life would be grand!

The most fun for me is discovering art that I never knew existed. That is particularly true for concept art. With cels, drawings, and backgrounds, if you watch the film, you will have an excellent idea of what exists or once existed. With concept art, the art is much less predictable. Since concept art pieces were essentially works in progress, many of them are very different from the finished product. Or even more exciting, there are pieces from scenes that never made it into the final movie! I have sold a concept drawing of the Queen from Snow White walking with a puma down darkly mysterious castle stairs. I own a concept piece from Snow White that has the most beautifully detailed spider web. I just recently sold a beautiful full-figured colourful Blue Fairy. The best part? These pieces have never been on the open market before. It was really like “finding” lost art.

In my opinion, concept art really captures the essence of the film and the characters in development. What you really see is the dawning and the birth of these characters from an artists’ imagination on their way to becoming the characters we identify with. Much of the preproduction art is highly sought after by many collectors worldwide. Pieces from the likes of Tenggrin and Mary Blair consistently fetch stellar prices at auction. I have a few Mary Blair Cinderella castles that match my master background from the same scene. I bought them from an auction, and I promise you, they didn’t come cheap!

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If you would like more of an insight and a better understanding of Animation Cels, or to look at some pictures of my collection, please visit my site at www.gallerypalette.com

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