1st Edition Harold James Cleworth Pink Fin Original Cleworths First Car Painting 1959 Cadillac Start Price USD 4,500.00 Current Price USD 4,500.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, July 17, 2008 End Time Thursday, July 24, 2008 Location Florence, South Carolina See more about '1st Edition Harold James Cleworth Pink Fin Original' Description "Pink Fin" First Edition of Harold James Cleworth's First Auto Work The "Pink Fin" painting was the work that launched artist Harold James Cleworth on the path to become perhaps the most noted creator of photorealist automotive art.  See the interview and article from Hemming's Classic Car News and GreatCars reprinted below for Cleworth's own explanation of how this famed artwork came into being.This is signed print #78 of the original first printing run of 950.  I am the original purchaser and only owner of this lithograph, having bought it in 1977 in San Francisco from the first small Haight district shop that carried Cleworth's work.  It is still in its original frame and mat.  With frame and mat, the piece measures 36" long by 28" wide.  The image alone measures 29" long by 22" wide.The lithograph is in perfect, undamaged condition.  The original beige mat has some age darkening and some foxing, visible in the photo of the signature.  The chrome frame has a bump on its bottom left corner.  The glass has some small cracks in that corner and a crack in the bottom right corner.On Cleworth's own website, cleworthart.net, the enhanced reproductions of this print sell for $12,000.ABOUT SHIPPING:If the buyer wants the print removed from the frame, wrapped and shipped in a tube, the cost with insurance via FedEx Ground will be $16.00 in the continental USA.   For shipping intact in the frame, I will deliver the piece to a professional packer/shipper and the buyer will be responsible for making direct payment to the shipper.  Buyers outside the continental USA: please email inquiries.ABOUT PAYMENT:  At buyer's discretion, an escrow account can be set up for payment through Escrow.com or a similar service.  However, upon purchase, a 20% deposit through PayPal will be required.==========================================================================LEGENDARY “PINK FIN” PAINTING SET FOR PEBBLE BEACH AUCTION Michael Rose,   Monday, July 16 2007Woodland Hills, CA, June 2007 – The painting that launched the modern automotive art movement is going up for sale at the Gooding Auction to be held following the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Saturday, August 18, 2007.  Pink Fin was inspired by a ’59 Cadillac tail fin that Harold Cleworth saw at an auto show in Northern England.  Painted by Cleworth in 1975, this iconic rendition of an icon kicked off a wave of other automotive portraits.  The painting has been a part of a private contemporary art collection for the past two decades.    “The Pink Fin established my career as an automotive artist,” said Cleworth.  “I saw a silver 1959 convertible Cadillac at a motor show in England and years later in the U.S., another classic Cadillac–in pink.  Both left an impression on me so I decided to paint the Pink Fin.”The painted fin jump started Cleworth’s career and led to the painting of his next wildly popular work, a black 1958 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing with open doors facing forward.  This image has appeared around the world in magazines, on TV shows and been used to decorate movie sets.  The original disappeared from public view more than 25 years ago.  Cleworth originals are now rarely offered for public sale and range around $18,000 to $40,000 a piece.    After graduating from Manchester College of Art in the U.K. and working on album designs for artist such as The Who and The Rolling Stones at Decca Records in London, Cleworth brought his talent to California in the early ‘70s.  The automobile became his muse becaue it represented a difficult time in American culture.  Cleworth’s trademark style of super-realism is instantly recognizable, and his 33-year career has moved the art world to see fine automobile art as more than just cars.While much of his work has exhibited at galleries throughout California, Cleworth has also been commissioned by private collectors for portraits of their Bugattis, Duesenbergs and Ferraris, as well as automobile companies such as Saab, Isuzu, Ford, Chevrolet and Lincoln Mercury.   He has also created collector and limited editions for many events including the Los Angeles and Chicago Auto Shows.To have a look at this piece of automotive art and to see some truly spectacular vehicles you’ll have to make the trip to the Gooding Auction that takes place on Saturday, August 18, 2007, after the Pebble Beach Concours.  It will be held at the equestrian grounds of Pebble Beach for the first time.  =====================================================================FEATURE ARTICLE from Hemmings Classic CarHarold CleworthHemmings Classic Car - SEPTEMBER 1, 2006by Mark McCourt-->Vibrant color and a gift for representing the automotive world in an incredibly realistic manner are the hallmarks of pieces by automotive fine artist Harold James Cleworth, although his youthful experiences may not have pointed him in this direction. "The area I grew up in, industrial northern England, was a grimy place filled with coal mines. My dad was a bus driver for 50 years, so I was around machinery all the time; he introduced me to the aesthetics of machinery, showing me how everything worked. I owe him a great deal. Although my father hoped I'd become a mechanic, I knew I would be an artist," Harold recalls.His interest in American cars dates back to a 1959 visit to the Earls Court Motor Show in London. "All the British cars there were very conservative, but the American contingent brought a silver 1959 Eldorado convertible with silver leather. The British were appalled, but I loved it," he laughs.Harold graduated from the Manchester College of Art in 1967 with a degree in graphic art. He moved to London, and, working for Decca Records, illustrated album covers for bands like the Rolling Stones and the Who. "I went the commercial route because I didn't think I could earn a living as a fine artist," he says. "I made those dreams happen, and after that, I said, Enough already, what's next? I met some people who lived in San Francisco and they encouraged me--I'd done what I wanted in London, so I sold everything I owned and moved to America in 1972."I moved into a studio in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and started to paint. I didn't have anything, but I was never happier," Harold smiles. "I didn't start painting cars right away, but things here impressed me--England was black and white, but America is Technicolor. I recall getting off the plane and seeing pink houses and purple cars--amazing colors. I started painting the local cityscape. My first car painting was the tailfin of a pink 1959 Cadillac; it was more of a graphic piece, and I published it, about 1,000 copies. This established me locally and gave me a start.""One day a guy showed up with his gullwing Mercedes, and he commissioned a painting of it--that's what established me nationally. Prints weren't just sold to car people...it was a graphic image that went well with modern décor. I sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and I've been painting cars ever since."His pieces are now famous for their incredible realism, but this took time to develop. "In London, I didn't have a personal style...what I saw, I'd emulate," Harold explains. "In America, I had no influence at all--it all came out of me. It was the best thing to happen to me. I'd look at photographs I'd taken of cars, study the reflections in the surfaces. I wanted people to look at my works and see the whole scene. I get a lot out of photography--my camera became a way of capturing images, and I apply this to painting. I hope my work will always change so I can do better. I never want to stand still--it's constantly evolving."My style is now less and less realistic," he continues. "People said the Mercedes looked so much like a photograph, and I'd used an airbrush and worked on a smooth surface to get that effect. But it made me question, what have I achieved with it as a painting? Once people said that, I threw all my mechanical art tools away. Now you know it's a painting...it has texture, brush strokes...but it still has a realistic quality."================================================== Place a Bid!