Lot 155
White (Tim) Original dust-jacket artwork design for Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein, 1978; together with a preliminary sketch of the same image (2)
Hammer Price: £2,000
Description
White (Tim, artist, 1952-2020) Original jacket artwork or 'Stranger in a Strange Land' by Robert Heinlein, airbrush and acrylic on board, signed by the artist in margin, image 38.5 x 23.5cm (15 x 9in), original protective glassine cover secured by tape on margin, 1978; together with preliminary sketch for same image in pen and crayon, (18.5 x 11cm (7 x 4 1/4in) (2)
⁂ Used as the cover art for the 1978 New English Library reprint of Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. Despite some notoriously unfavourable reviews ("disastrous mishmash of science fiction, laborious humor, dreary social satire and cheap eroticism"), Heinlein's work is still considered a cornerstone of mid-century science-fiction.
The painting itself demonstrates White's signature tropes: towering landscapes receding into a dark distance, a hyper-realistic but assuredly surreal atmosphere, coupled with dense and detailed vegetation, winged creatures circling a central human figure set within a powerful but isolated composition. Paired with the preliminary sketch, the duo provide a glimpse into White's artistic development.
Description
White (Tim, artist, 1952-2020) Original jacket artwork or 'Stranger in a Strange Land' by Robert Heinlein, airbrush and acrylic on board, signed by the artist in margin, image 38.5 x 23.5cm (15 x 9in), original protective glassine cover secured by tape on margin, 1978; together with preliminary sketch for same image in pen and crayon, (18.5 x 11cm (7 x 4 1/4in) (2)
⁂ Used as the cover art for the 1978 New English Library reprint of Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. Despite some notoriously unfavourable reviews ("disastrous mishmash of science fiction, laborious humor, dreary social satire and cheap eroticism"), Heinlein's work is still considered a cornerstone of mid-century science-fiction.
The painting itself demonstrates White's signature tropes: towering landscapes receding into a dark distance, a hyper-realistic but assuredly surreal atmosphere, coupled with dense and detailed vegetation, winged creatures circling a central human figure set within a powerful but isolated composition. Paired with the preliminary sketch, the duo provide a glimpse into White's artistic development.
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