Carl Barks' Original Oil Painting "Spoiling the Concert" to be Auctioned by Heritage!

Dallas, TX: He's been called "The Duck Man," "the Hans Christian Andersen of comics," and "The Good Duck Artist."

His legion of fans worldwide know him as Carl Barks.

Born in Merrill, Oregon on March 27, 1901, Barks grew up in a rural farming community, although his family moved frequently during the early years of Carl's life. This constant sense of unsettlement could be seen in Bark's later work, especially in the character of Donald Duck, who tended to drift from place to place and job to job.

In 1935, Barks was hired by Disney's animation department as an "in-betweener," literally rendering the shots "in-between" the main drawings to provide a sense of fluid movement. He started submitting gag ideas during his tenure there, and was soon transferred to the story department. Barks, along with his creative partner Jack Hannah, came up with story ideas for Donald Duck, once that character proved popular enough to support his own series of cartoons. Working together, Barks and Hannah contributed to such classics as Donald's Nephews (1938), Donald's Cousin Gus (1939), and The Vanishing Private (1942), among others.

Barks left the Disney Studios in 1942. One of his last jobs before leaving, however, was to do half the artwork for a 64-page Donald Duck comic book adventure (Hannah did the other half). The story, titled Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold, would soon see publication in Dell's Four Color #9, a book destined to become a landmark among comic collectors.

After relocating to the San Jacinto area, Barks inquired at Western Publishing, who had released Four Color #9, if there might be more work on Donald stories. He was immediately assigned a 10-page story for Walt Disney Comics and Stories #31, The Victory Garden , in 1943, leading to work that would appear continuously in that magazine for the next several decades. Although these stories were always unsigned, as was the custom of the day, Barks' stories stood out to a legion of fans who recognized the quality of his work. For this reason, he gained the sobriquet, "The Good Duck Artist."

Barks would continue to contribute new Donald stories well past the point of his supposed "retirement" in 1966. In the mid-1970s, at the urging of fans, Barks sought, and was granted permission by Disney, to create oil paintings of the Duck characters, bringing a whole new form of expression to his artwork. Although that permission was eventually withdrawn several years later, due to an unauthorized dealer selling knock-off prints of Barks' paintings, "The Good Duck Artist" still found a way to satisfy his fans, when he started creating a series of non-Disney Duck paintings, taking his themes from legend and mythology. Barks and Disney reached a new accord a few years later, allowing Barks to create more paintings of Disney characters.

Barks continued painting and creating almost until the end of his life. He passed away on August 25, 2000, just a few months shy of his 100th birthday. He leaves behind him, though, a legacy for the ages.

"We're very proud to present several paintings from this masterful artist in our upcoming auction," said Ed Jaster, Vice-President for Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries, "including Dubious Doings at Dismal Downs," from 1986, First National Bank of Cibola, circa 1987, and, from 1990, An Astronomical Predicament."

"The real star, however," Jaster continued, "is Spoiling the Concert, one of Barks' earlier paintings, rendered in 1973. Many collectors and experts agree that Barks had a 'golden age,' a short period during which he produced his very best work. This painting was created during that time, and remains a favorite amongst fans of 'The Duck Man.' Unlike many Barks paintings, Spoiling the Concert has never been reproduced as a print or limited edition lithograph, nor as part of a calendar, or in any other format. It is emerging from a private collection for the first time in 30 years, and I'd encourage anyone who has ever gotten lost in the pages of a Barks Duck story to visit www.HA.com, where they can inspect an enlargeable, full-color image of this classic work, read our complete and informative catalog description, and even place bids online."

Heritage Auction Galleries' upcoming Vintage Comic and Comic Art auction will be held August 2-4, 2007 at Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore, MD.

Carl Barks - "Spoiling the Concert" Oil Painting Original Art (1973):
ESTIMATE: $200,000 & up

Carl Barks - "First National Bank of Cibola" Oil Painting Original Art (circa 1987)
ESTIMATE: $150,000 & up

Carl Barks - "An Astronomical Predicament" Oil Painting Original Art (1990):
ESTIMATE: $100,000 & up

Carl Barks - "Dubious Doings at Dismal Downs" Oil Painting Original Art (1986):
ESTIMATE: $100,000 & up

Prospective consignors and sellers of Comics and Comic Art are invited to www.HA.com/Sell. Or simply email Ed Jaster at EdJ@HA.com, or call 1-800-872-6467, ext. 288.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Client Services at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 150, or visit www.HA.com/Catalog to order by email.