Artie Shaw Memorabilia Auction
Published August 27th, 2008
John Moran Auctioneers will offer items from the estate of clarinet legend Artie Shaw on September 16, 2008.
Coming to auction for the first time will be several of Shaw’s musical instruments, including two clarinets played during the height of his fame during the late 1930s and early 1940s, a vintage Selmer Mark VI saxophone, and a grand piano, as well as photographs, ephemera, artwork, furnishings and various items of personal property.
The most exciting lot for jazz and big band aficionados will be Shaw’s Selmer B flat clarinet, circa 1932. It comes complete with a custom Arnold Brilhart mouthpiece and period Selmer case. A second clarinet, a Selmer A with low E flat, circa 1940s, comes with a fitted double case and brass plaque inscribed ‘ARTIE SHAW.’ This clarinet was displayed in a choice position in the Shaw home on the fireplace mantel.
A handful of paintings from Artie Shaw’s estate will be of significant interest not only to Shaw fans and music lovers, but to California art collectors as well. Reflecting Shaw’s life and his influence on American musical culture, these works are vivid examples of 1940’s-era American Scene painting. A brilliant large-scale oil painting by noted Hollywood artist John Decker (1895-1947), depicts the back alley of the Mocambo Nightclub. This Sunset Strip hotspot, where Shaw played and where Frank Sinatra made his solo debut, opened in 1941 and quickly became a magnet for celebrity nightlife. John Moran holds the current record high auction price for a work by the artist.
Additional highlights from the Artie Shaw Estate include a fabric-and-photograph tribute to Artie Shaw by his friend, the renowned contemporary artist Ed Ruscha which was dedicated to Shaw for his 90th and 91st birthdays. One item of historical significance from Shaw’s time in the United Sates navy during World War II, is a Japanese battle flag captured at Guadalcanal and signed by Admiral Halsey to Artie Shaw in 1943. A signed Philip & Kelvin Laverne coffee table, circa 1960, is included with the estate .
Auction Info www.johnmoran.com
