Lost Paintings Re-discovered
A treasure trove of some 50 original Charley Harper paintings was recently brought to light after more than 35 yrs in storage at the Ford Motor Company archives.
Stored Away for Safe Keeping
The discovery of a trove of more than 50 original Charley Harper paintings that were part of the private Corporate Art Collection of the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan was recently announced the the artist's estate. According to a prominent Harper dealer "Ford commissioned these works from the 1940's through the mid 1960's, and each of the paintings appeared at one time or another in either the Ford Times or Lincoln Mercury Times magazines. Most Harper fans and collectors have never seen these works. The discovery of these paintings even came as a surprise to Charley's son, Brett." "When I first walked into the room at Ford...tears welled up in my eyes."
-Brett Harper
Even the artist's family was taken by surprise.
Says Charley's son, Director of The Charley Harper Art Studio, "When the Ford Motor Company historian called to tell me that he had located a vault of 3000 paintings, including this mother lode of my dad's original, commissioned paintings, I was floored. I felt like I was opening a buried treasure chest that had been locked up for more than 35 years."
"They are the rarest of the rare."
-Brett Harper
Previously Unknown Bird and Fish Originals
No one knew they ever existed
Brett Harper and The Charley Harper Art Studio had been under the impression that the silkscreen prints of birds and fish that Charley made for the Ford Times magazine had been originally conceived as serigraphs. It came as a great shock to discover among this treasure the some 25 original paintings from which these prints were made. Brett Harper says "The jury's still out on what price the market will value these collages. They are the rarest of the rare." "The collages have a vibrancy and life that isn't apparent in either the prints or the magazines"
Harper's Art Shines in its Original Format
For years these images have been available at best as silkscreen prints and in many cases only as low resolution reproductions in magazines only inches across. To see them at full scale and in their original media is breathtaking. Rena Hopkins, Assistant Director of The Charley Harper Art Studio says that "The collages have a vibrancy and life that isn't apparent in either the prints or the magazines. Charley had a remarkable eye for line and color that just couldn't be duplicated by the print media of the time." The studio hopes to have this collection travel through a series of exhibitions across the country. If you have the opportunity to see them in person, it is well worth the effort.
Preview Some of the "Trove"
View the rest of the Trove
- The Harper Trove Slideshow.
- The Harper Trove can be viewed in its entirety on the Harper Family home website.
Charley Harper on Amazon
Charles Harper’s Birds & Words Ltd Edition W Red-eyed Vireo Print
Amazon Price: $67.50 (as of 11/25/2009) 
Charley Harper Lithograph- "A Good World"
Amazon Price: $50.00 (as of 11/25/2009)
Charley Harper Lithograph "Birdfeeders"
Amazon Price: $50.00 (as of 11/25/2009)
Harper in the Blogosphere
- Collage of Life: Caught my eye..
- Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life - *Charley Harper: An Illustrated Lif**e*** - Charley Harper was an American original. For over six decades he painted colorful and graphic illustrations of ... 20 hours ago ...
- Design Assembly » Blog Archive » Charley Harper @ Altman Siegel ...
- For those lucky enough to be in San Francisco, an exhibition of original Harper drawings and paintings recently opened at Altman Siegel Gallery, showing until October 31st. The works on show, many small in scale, are original ...
- It's Nice That : Article : Charley Harper
- I'll hold my hands up and admit I was one of the many who haven't had their eyes blessed by the work of Charley Harper until a couple of weeks ago. I was presented with a stunning large scale book of his charming illustration, ...
- Charley Harper Original Art Exhibit « Fabulous Frames & Art Blog
- Charley Harper Original Art Exhibit: next Saturday, a long-lost treasure trove of Harper's paintings for Ford Times and Lincoln Mercury Times will be unveiled at Fabulous Frames & Art in Montgomery. [...] ...
Harper Fans, share your joy!
If you're as excited as I am to see these new pieces, share your joy with the rest of us!
submit
-
Reply
- Laura Kennedy Laura Kennedy Sep 12, 2009 @ 5:56 pm
- Saw the Charley Harper exhibit at the Puallyup Fair Friday 9/11...remarkable!! Somebody went thru a great deal of research and work to get that up and going. Loved the family photo of Charley at his table with Eddie and Bret. These were original works and amazing up close to see. I had to just hang around for an hour or so to see peoples reactions to his work...priceless. I WANNA HARPER MUSEUM!
-
Reply
- a_willow a_willow Jun 19, 2009 @ 7:11 am
- Love it! Blessed it! :)
-
Reply
- JonitasKalimpo JonitasKalimpo Jun 18, 2009 @ 2:01 pm
- I must say this is a very good work. I love this type of lens, a mix between article and news. i Left you 5 stars, well deserved.
-
Reply
- ChapelHillFiddler ChapelHillFiddler Jun 18, 2009 @ 6:45 am
- I love this lens. It is completely original and well integrated. I don't give out stars often but I'm giving you a top rating. Love it.
More About Charley Harper
- The Charley Harper Art Studio
- Shop for Charley Harper prints, note cards, and posters.
- The Harper Studio Blog
- Up to date news from the Charley Harper Art Studio.
- In Memoriam
- A memorial page devoted to Charley Harper and his legacy.
More Lenses About Charley Harper
-
Charles Harper
-
Prolific illustrator, Mr. Charlie Harper, is an artist respected for his colorful & reductive illustrations of nature & animals. Charley-as he prefers-was born on August 4th, 1922 in Frenchtown, West Virginia and served in World War II during his ten...
-
The Art of Charley Harper
-
Living in Ohio the art of Charley Harper has been a quiet and pervasive influence on me as long as I can remember. It wasn't until just this past year that I got the opportunity to work directly with the studio and really immerse myself in it. I'm so...
by DivineIguana
Hello out there! I am Rena Hopkins, a mixed media collage and jewelry artist and owner of PassionFruitsImages, an artists' image resource. I love all... (more)
Explore related pages
The Art of Charley Harper- Living in Ohio the art of Charley Harper has been a quiet and pervasive influenc...
Who is Julian Schnabel- You may ask..who IS Julian Schnabel? Well, this lens is TOTALLY dedicated to Jul...
