Bluefin Tuna Painting Sets New Auction Record

“Bluefin at Ballyhoo – 1979” by Stanley Meltzoff, oil on panel (24”x34”).



By Jim Field
I came across this article on the internet and read it with interest. I love paintings related to the ocean--typically, by my experience, depictions of ships from the age of sail and of the ocean itself, more often than not large swells on the open sea, rough water, or waves crashing on a rocky shore.

I myself have started to collect oil paintings of pelagic fish by a native artist of Hatteras Island, something I'll write about later on.

Today's painting of bluefin tuna is, indeed, gorgeous. The artist, Stanley Meltzoff, unknown to 99.99999999% of Americans, is nevertheless respected and famous in his own small world of collectors. Here's how the auction played out--the market assigning a value of $32,000 to his bluefin tuna depiction.

(Take note: if I had big bucks, I would have placed the winning bid--no doubt about it.)


JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming, USA, October 4, 2010 --- Four exquisite game fish paintings by premier artist Stanley Meltzoff (1917-2006) all set unexpected records at the recent Jackson Hole Art Auction.

Most noteworthy was "Bluefin at Ballyhoo--1979," a picture done by Meltzoff in 1979 that sold for nearly $32,000. This figure was almost ten times the pre-sale estimate and reflects a surging interest in this artist’s extraordinary work. Another Meltzoff painting titled "White Marlin--1986" sold for more than $21,000, or four times the pre-sale estimate. These results were especially noteworthy in that the annual Jackson Hole auction is primarily a vehicle for western art and rarely deals in other genres.

Meltzoff was the first and remains indisputably the finest saltwater game fish painter of all time. Born in New York, his early career included a classical education in the arts followed by four years as a correspondent for The Stars and Stripes army newspaper during WWII. Upon returning stateside in 1945, he taught at the prestigious Pratt Institute before establishing himself as a leading commercial artist and illustrator.

Beginning with a commission from Sports Illustrated in 1960, he turned to painting game fish almost exclusively during the latter part of his career, ultimately completing more than 350 canvasses. Today Meltzoff originals hang in museums and private collections around the world. Widely honored throughout his life, Meltzoff’s death in 2006 stilled a brush that will never be equaled.

In 2009, a book on Meltzoff’s life and work was published by Silverfish Press, and a few of his originally signed and numbered lithographs still remain available. For more information, visit www.silverfishpress.com.