NEW YORK, NY.- Illustration Art at Swann Galleries is set for Tuesday, June 17, featuring the Collection of Lee Lorenz.

An array of illustration, cartoon, and animation art, including a special section dedicated to New Yorker artwork from the esteemed collection of Lee Lorenz, long-time art director, will feature in this auction. This sale celebrates the brilliance of legendary illustrators, from beloved children’s book artists to pioneering cartoonists and animators. Highlights from the collection include cover illustrations by Lorenz: Confetti Hourglass, mixed media on paper, 1973 ($2,500-3,500) and Cookout with Uncle Sam, watercolor and ink on board, 1989 ($2,000-3,000); cartoons including Roz Chast’s Women of the Wilderness by Mindy Melnikoff, ink and watercolor, 1991 ($800-1,200), and Jack Ziegler’s Fashion Bulletin: The Return of the Hat, pen, ink and wash on paper, 1983 ($800-1,200).

Leading the auction are works by Norman Rockwell: two early finished, published oil paintings—I see ‘em bumped every day / The Traffic Officer, oil on canvas, 1922 ($40,000-60,000); and Out of the blackness Wolf launched himself, straight for the trespasser’s throat, 1918 ($60,000-80,000). Also on offer by Rockwell are two early pencil portraits, offering a glimpse into the master’s creative process.

Fans of classic children’s literature will be delighted by a pencil sketch of Arthur from Babar by Laurent de Brunhoff ($2,000-3,000), as well as a rare preliminary drawing for Maurice Sendak’s Sundance Children’s Theatre, pencil, 1988 ($20,000-30,000), an exciting find for collectors of the Where the Wild Things Are creator’s work. Also present is Miguel Covarrubias with Bradypus Tridactilus, Three-toed Sloth, gouache on paper, circa 1953 ($4,000-6,000), and Arthur Szyk’s enchanting Thumbelina, gouache and pencil, 1945 ($4,000-6,000), an illustration from Andersen’s Fairy Tales, a masterpiece of meticulous detail. Ludwig Bemelmans illustrations of Madeleine ($3,000-4,000) and Madeleine and Pepito ($4,000-6,000) are present, as well as works by Jane Breskin Zalben, William Pène du Bois, and Arthur Rackham. Paperback cover fans will also find originals by Stanley Zuckerberg, Verne Tossey, and Stanley Borack.

The auction also features a selection of illustrations from magazines, theater, and advertising, showcasing the talents of Russell Patterson with an unpublished magazine illustration The Gibson Girl Revival, 1908 - 1933, pen and ink over graphite, circa 1933 ($1,200-1,800), Robert Edmond Jones with a circa 1942 costume design inscribed to a friend ($1,000-1,500), and Vince Cullers with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., oil on board, a 1987 advertisement for Sears published in Ebony ($1,600-2,200). Fans of Edward Gorey’s signature macabre style will be drawn to a grouping of eerie bat drawings, created as preparatory works for the Broadway production of Dracula circa 1976 ($2,500-3,500).

Original comic strip art by the legendary Frank King ($1,500-2,500), and a selection of animation cels featuring beloved characters like Tom & Jerry ($1,000-1,500), The Simpsons ($800-1,200), and Disney with a run of cels of Snow White’s dwarfs are also included.

This auction is a rare opportunity to acquire works by some of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, whether you’re a dedicated collector, an art enthusiast, or simply drawn to the nostalgia of classic illustration.