Mary Blair (1911-1978)

Mary Blair Watermelon Boy Original Painting with Signature (Walt Disney, c. 1970s). Presented is a remarkably rare original painting by the hand of Disney Legend inductee Mary Blair. Rendered in acrylic on board, this piece was purchased by fellow Disney Legend Alice Davis at a 1970s Cal Arts fundraising auction. The painting hung in kitchen of Marc and Alice Davis for many years, and it is worth noting that this original work bears the exceptionally rare signature of the artist. It is featured in both of John Canemaker's books Magic, Color, Flair: The World of Mary Blair and The Art and Flair of Mary Blair: An Appreciation on pages 172 and 77, respectively. Canemaker writes, "Alice Davis, a respected costume designer who worked with Mary Blair on it's a small world, bought two of Blair's personal works, Watermelon Boy and Girl and Cat at benefit auctions for Cal Arts in the 1970s. She recalls that Blair later gave her the third painting, explaining that 'Lemonade Girl found she was terribly unhappy without Watermelon Boy.' Alice Davis lovingly hung both artworks together in her kitchen." In addition, this piece was also displayed at the "Magic, Color, Flair: The World of Mary Blair" exhibit at the Walt Disney Family Museum in 2014. The painting is framed with a window size of 11.5" x 15.5" and an overall frame size of 13.5" x 17.5". All frames are sold as-is. Photos are not representative of actual frame condition. The back of the frame is numbered lot #14 for the 1970s auction. Prints of the book pages are included in this lot. Minimal handling, and the condition of this rare gem is Very Good. From the Disney Legend Inductees Marc and Alice Davis Archive. HID09710052018 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved