?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 200 - $ 300
DESIGNER UNKNOWN FARRAH. 1976. 28x20 inches, 71x51 cm. Pro Arts, Medina, Ohio. Condition B+: creases and abrasions in image. Paper. "This was more than just a poster; it was an icon of its era, the image that crystallized the carefree sexuality of the anything-goes '70s . . .[it was] the best-selling wall art of all time" (Cleveland Scene, August 3, 2005). In many ways the story of what is arguably the most famous American poster of the second half of the 20th century, is a microcosm of the American Dream. Pro Arts was begun in 1967 by two college dropouts who bought a collection of 300 anti-war posters, and sold them fast enough to realize there was an interest in posters. Realizing the potential in the poster market they moved to bigger premises (in Medina, Ohio). They signed pop-culture icons such as Kojak, Baretta, The Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man. In 1976 someone suggested they make a poster featuring a beautiful woman who was currently featured in shampoo advertisements: Farrah Fawcett. She was guaranteed at least $6,000 for the project. The poster was such an extraordinary success that the company did two million dollars in business the year it was released. Litigation and bad business deals forced Pro Arts into bankruptcy in 1981 and liquidation in 1984. For the full details of the extraordinary story see Touched by An Angel, by Kevin Hoffman, Cleveland Scene, August 3, 2005.
