GUEST: This is a drawing sent to my mother-in-law by Tom Wesselmann. This is his original drawing for his future Still Life #61. My mother-in-law had a lot of artist friends, which were at Pratt and Cooper Union,
APPRAISER: Okay.
GUEST: where he was also associated, and they formed a friendship.
APPRAISER: Was she an artist as well?
GUEST: She was not, but she always was appreciative of the arts. It was in my mother's bureau drawer for approximately 30 years. And we have now retrieved it and framed it. So, it, it, it's been in the family for quite a while.
APPRAISER: And can you tell me a little about this letter that we have here as well?
GUEST: Yes, this is also from Tom. She had congratulated him on his son. It says, "Dear Esther, we just had a boy, nine pounds, two ounces. Lane Hardy. We are delirious. Enclosed is a small gift for you. It's from my newest in progress giant still life. The ring will be nine feet high. Off to the country tomorrow. Regards, Tom. Took a while to get things in order here to get this off to you. Lane now almost two weeks old."
APPRAISER: It's an exciting time.
GUEST: Exciting time.
APPRAISER: I would strongly encourage you to make a copy of the letter...
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: But don't keep the letter itself behind the work.
GUEST: Oh, okay.
APPRAISER: That, that tends to be where silverfish and other things migrate.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: And they will eat paper. Tom Wesselmann did a great deal of his work in New York. Wesselmann is definitely associated with the pop art movement,
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: but he himself was not fond of that label.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: But these are everyday objects that he is trying to-- and some would argue succeeding-- he's making them exciting.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: This still life study is certainly a fabulous thing. I, I do feel like we're burying the lede a little bit about Tom Wesselmann, because much
of his work is... we'll call it risqué.
GUEST: It is.
APPRAISER: Yeah, yeah. Maybe all the way to naughty. (laughter) That's frankly what he's most famous for. But these still lives are also a, a known portion of, of his work. This work is pencil and colored pencil on paper. It's inscribed, signed, and dated on the bottom edge here, it says, "For Esther, Tom Wesselmann, '75."
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Tom Wesselmann died in 2004.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: With the letter, the inscription, I think at auction right now, you're realistically looking at $25,000 to $35,000.
GUEST: Wow, okay. Thank, thank you. It, it will stay in the family, but that, that's lovely to know.
APPRAISER: If you were to insure it, I think you're looking at something like $75,000.
GUEST: Oh. Okay, we will do. (both laugh)
