Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Ralph Steadman's present

Yesterday the postman brought me a present. It came from England in a big tube with original art sent to me by Ralph Steadman. It is very important to know that this art is a gift from him; it is not stolen.

'For those of you who aren’t familiar with Ralph Steadman’s art, he is an English artist known for his long artistic partnership with Hunter S. Thompson, drawing pictures for several of his articles and books. He accompanied Thompson to the Kentucky Derby for an article for the magazine Scanlan's, to the Honolulu Marathon for the magazine Running, and illustrated both Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. Steadman has expressed regret at selling the original illustrations for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas at the advice of his agent to Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner for the sum of $75, a fraction of their later value. As a result of that transaction Steadman has largely refused to sell any of his original artwork and has been quoted as saying "If anyone owns a Steadman original, it's stolen." While there are original pieces held outside of his archive, they are exceedingly rare. The artist has kept possession of the vast bulk of his original artwork.'

For many years, I have admired his energy, sarcasm, and wit that shows through his art. A few years ago, we became email-pals, and I asked him to create a Tolerance Poster for me, which he did. And now, this. 
 
I am quite excited and I hope that this art does not give me high blood pressure.
 


 


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