OS asked for a dollar estimate for her Barnaby Conrad signed lithograph. When an artist is a huge personality with a legendary past, “comparable sales,” prices paid for past work, don’t accurately reflect the stature of the artist’s oeuvre. Artist, author, portraitist, cabaret owner, bar room pianist, bullfighter, friend to writers, one-time Vice Consul to Spain, and boxer, a local legend since the 1960s, Barnaby Conrad (San Francisco 1922-Carpinteria 2013) is such an artist.
OS discovered this lithograph of a beautiful hawk in the back of her late husband’s closet. Signed in the plate “Barnaby Conrad, June 1986,” countersigned by hand “Barnaby Conrad.” A label reads: “First Award, ‘Brief Encounter,’ Fiction, Santa Barbara Writers Conference, June 1986.” OS’s husband “won” this print at SBWC, founded by Conrad in 1973.
The Writers Conference turned 50 years old last year. Mr. Conrad and his wife Mary ran the conference for over 30 years. Current conference owner, Monte Schultz, also a local legend, has attended since 1975.
Conrad began his bullfighting career at the age of 19 as a student in Mexico City. Shortly thereafter he entered Yale as an art student. However his literary career brought about him fame. He published over thirty books in his lifetime, and illustrated and designed covers for many of them. He knew everyone interesting throughout his life. His 1997 book Name-dropping: Tales from my San Franscico Nightclub dishes the dirt on drinkers at his club “El Matador,” founded in 1953.
Conrad’s art, books, and autographs sold recently
An illustration by Conrad “The Last Fight of Manolete,” produced as a lithographic advertisement for Pearl Beer of San Antonio, TX, recently sold by Vogt Auctions for $530. Unlike OS’s image, this work was not signed. That makes OS’s lithograph worth more, but how much more? Without a doubt Conrad experienced a noted career as an artist. His charcoal portraits of Truman Capote, James Michener, and Alex Haley hang in the National Portrait Gallery.
Conrad’s book Matador (1952) sold over two million copies. A signed first edition will sell for $800 in good condition. The book tells the story of legendary bullfighter Manolete, who, in his comeback fight, was gored and died in 1947. Conrad, also gored in 1958, lived to fight again. A book formerly in Conrad’s collection on the history of bullfighting, signed by Conrad, is offered on Argosy Books for $200. This proves again that simply his signature is valued because of the man he was. A sketch of his bullfighting teacher Arruza (1920-1966), a prominent bullfighter in the 1940s, sold for $200.
Conrad Signed Checks
Conrad’s signature alone sells for $300 and more. The website History for Sale: Autograph and Manuscript Leader offers ten personal bank checks signed by Conrad in 2002. The payments went to collaborating authors for his book Snoopy’s Guide to the Writing Life. All these checks for sale are signed by Conrad: to Catherine Ryan Hyde, offered for $220, additional contributor Elizabeth George’s signed check is offered for $360. Conrad’s check to Hubert Gold goes for $323, one to JF Friedman for $360, another to Cherie Carter-Scott for $320, one to Francis A. Weaver for $320, and to John Leggett for $320. Also to Donald Newlove for $272, to A. Scott Berg for $380, and a check to Evan Hunter is offered for $200. So just Conrad’s signed name commands $300 in the autograph market.
More sold works by Conrad add to my evaluation:
A bronze bust by Conrad of Manolete, offered by igavel from the estate of actor Richard Widmark, did not sell, but carried the auction estimate of $300-500. Conrad’s sketch of legendary bullfighter Carlos Arruza (1920-60), Conrad’s bullfighting teacher, sold for $200.
The importance of the man whose career included 40 bullfights in Spain, Mexico and Peru, the author of over 30 books, many selling millions of copies, a legend as a multi-talented artist in many mediums and genres. Attendees at SBWC attest to his support of writers. His friends included Sinclair Lewis—Conrad worked as his personal secretary in 1947—John Steinbeck, William F Buckley Jr., and Ray Bradbury.
Conrad as a polymath supersedes the value of one work on the commercial market. Judging from the values paid for an autograph, and the price paid for an unsigned poster, I put the value of the hawk lithograph, of which only 300 were printed in 1986, at $1,200.