Napalm in the Morning: Robert Peak’s Original Artwork for Apocalypse Now Poster Leads Heritage’s Illustration Art Auction

The November 15 event also offers up significant works from The Frank Collection of Science Fiction & Fantasy Art and more DOWNLOAD DIGITAL PRESS KIT DALLAS, Texas (Oct. 24, 2024) — “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” Depending on your age and movie intake, if you take a close look at this image — it’s the original artwork for the official art of a very famous movie — a particular quote may come to mind. Few movies can boast a universally recognized “catchphrase,” but 45 years after its release, the epic American synthesis of the Vietnam War, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, is in itself synthesized by its most famous line of dialogue, as well as this artwork. This masterpiece of illustration is a highlight of Heritage’s November 15 Illustration Art Signature® Auction. The acclaimed American illustrator Robert Peak is its creator, and this work, the original final painting used as the movie’s primary U.S. promotional material and poster, is widely considered one of his most indelible creations. The fluid and impressionistic watercolor on board depicts a thin swarm of choppers cutting across the distant horizon and a massive shimmering, rising sun; they buzz from left frame to right and punctuate a quiet jungle-scape anchored by a calm and winding river. The whole is soaked in an atmospheric jaundice, as though the heavy moisture in the air carries a warning and brings to mind — however circuitously — a then-new gaseous weapon we still associate with that particular long and catastrophic war. The poster artwork conjures and encapsulates the entire movie, and the scene that ultimately defines it: “Do you smell that? Nothing else in the world smells like that, son,” hums a bare-chested Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore, played by Robert Duvall. Choppers and airplanes fill the skies. He kneels down against a backdrop of a jungle that is on fire, that is exploding. “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” This movie, released in 1979, and this poster image by Peak planted in countless psyches some deeper understanding of what was both old and new about how contemporary wars are fought, and how the most violent tendencies of humankind can and will set up shop in even the remotest of places. “It is a special and rare event to have the opportunity to offer such a key published painting for such a generationally defining film, and equally rare to be able to present a masterwork by an artist like Peak,” says Sarahjane Blum, Heritage’s Director of Illustration Art. The appearance of this spectacular work of Illustration Art at Heritage follows another of Peak’s most famous artworks for the same movie selling at Heritage (the current auction record for the artist): Peak’s Apocalypse Now image produced for the European market, featuring an arresting image of Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz, sold for more than $200,000 in 2021. Given much wider exposure and use of the U.S. version of Peak’s artwork, Heritage is thrilled to revisit its robust relationship with the artist’s original and printed works — the current offering comes directly from the artist’s estate — and to celebrate Peak’s position as one of America’s greatest illustrators. Heritage’s dedication and scholarship to and for the category is historically strong and grows stronger by the season, and the November 15 auction reflects the thoughtful vision Heritage applies to the artists who illustrate our cultural landscape. The auction house’s longstanding relationship with the definitive Frank Collection of Science Fiction & Fantasy Art — one of the most celebrated and definitive private collections ever built — resurfaces here in a stunning selection of original artworks that Jane and her late husband Howard Frank held back for themselves... until now. Among the highlights is this 1947 illustration, in oil on board, by James Allen St. John titled Tarzan and His Mate. “J. Allen St. John's 1915 illustrations for Edgar Rice Burroughs for The Return of Tarzan announced the artist as a visionary in the genre of heroic fantasy art,” says Blum. “His take on Tarzan would solidify the importance of the character, and his work with Burroughs would go on to inspire all the Tarzan artists to come, including Hal Foster, Burne Hogarth, Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel and countless others. Tarzan and His Mate mixes St. John's sense of graceful movement with his storytelling of dramatic propulsion to create one of the finest Tarzan offerings to come to market.” The work was created as a private commission for and inscribed to the then-President of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Club, Verne (Vernell) Coriell. It is joined in this auction by other Frank Collection treasures including a spectacular original oil-on-canvas illustration by Rudolph Belarski for a 1939 Argosy Weekly pulp magazine cover, depicting the tale Synthetic Men of Mars — the ninth offering in Burrough’s Martian series and often referred to as “The John Carter of Mars” books. These stories are considered some of the most influential early science fiction works and this vibrant cover by Belarski shows a climactic moment in the story when Vor Daj and Janai ride the giant bird known as a malagor to the rescue of Dejah Thoris, wife of John Carter. “This is one of the most powerful covers Belarski created for the storied title,” says Blum. High-caliber Frank Collection works that hit the block in November also include significant original illustrations by Hannes Bok, Robert Fuqua, Frank R. Paul, Edmund (Emsh) Emshwiller, and Harold W. McCauley. These Frank Collection offerings are joined by a 1979 piece by the legendary Greg and Tim Hildebrandt — known as the Brothers Hildebrandt. The acrylic on panel painting is a dense and richly colored promotional image for Urshurak, one of their most ambitious projects. “Urshurak was initially envisioned as a film with themes and settings that evoke J.R.R. Tolkien, but the story found its final form as an illustrated novel co-created with Jerry Nichols,” says Blum. “The brothers were are their peak of popularity when they began the project.” The painting, titled Fellowship, “shows the full complement of unlikely adventurers embarking on an epic quest against a Maxfield Parrish-inspired background,” says Blum. “The Brothers Hildebrandt's take on high fantasy remains influential for illustrators and even filmmakers due in large part to the powerful artistry and warm imagination of works like this one.” Also on tap in the November auction: Four original Saturday Evening Post cover and interior artworks that appeared on newsstands between 1928 and 1947 and were created by illustration greats Eugene Iverd, Elbert McGran Jackson, Mortimer Wilson and Alexander Brook. Jackson’s June 1928 cover for SAP, created in oil on canvas and titled Circus Parade, “is one of Jackson’s more notable commissions for the iconic publication highlighting his draftsmanship and understanding of complex composition,” says Blum. “The 1920s were a turning point in the history of circuses in America; economic pressures left smaller circuses struggling and the decade saw the beginning of the decline of this classic American entertainment. Circus Parade captures the glory of the Golden Age of American circuses with a touch of nostalgic yearning in a moment readers of the magazine knew was bringing swift change.” This specially curated auction offers only the choicest Illustration, with many great examples by the most desirable artists from all areas, such as paperback art by James Avati, space art by Chesley Bonestell, a rare example from the creation of children’s book classic James and the Giant Peach by Nancy Ekholm Burkert, Golden Age Art by Albert Beck Wenzell and more. And in an Illustration Art auction, Pin-Up Art and Pulp Art are the welcome anchors, and this event boasts fantastic and charming original works by Hugh Joseph Ward, James Elliott Bama, Gil Elvgren, and of course a godfather of Pin-Up, Alberto Vargas. This very early 1923 watercolor on board by Vargas, titled Nita Naldi, is “an iconic masterpiece featuring actress Nita Naldi next to a classical Satyr sculpture and draws from the rich visual culture of the early 20th century, blending glamour with mythology,” says Blum. “Naldi, a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl who went on to become a famous femme fatale of the silent screen known for her sultry and exotic roles, is depicted by Vargas with his signature blend of sensuality and elegance.” This work, with its rich insider provenance, had its gallery debut in 1985 at the San Francisco Art Exchange exhibition and was celebrated as the highlight of Vargas’ career. “When the work sold for a record-breaking price at the exhibition, it became a newsworthy event that helped bring Pin-Up Art into the mainstream art market.” Images and information about Vargas’ Nita Naldi and all lots in the November 15 Illustration Art Signature® Auction , as well as preview dates at Heritage’s Chicago and New York locations, can be found at HA.com/8175. Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong. Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet's most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,750,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of 6,000,000 past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit. For breaking stories, follow us: HA.com/Facebook and HA.com/Twitter . Link to this release or view prior press releases . Hi-Res images available: Christina Rees, Public Relations Specialist 214-409-1341 or Christina Rees@HA.com