Ford Originals

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."  Says Brett Harper, 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

Preview Some of the "Trove"



Previously Unknown Bird and Fish Originals 

  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."
 

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.
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