Edgar Bergen is known for his work in vaudeville, radio and film as an extremely talented ventriloquist. Yet he also became an accomplished artist with amazing talent.<\/p>\n
In fact, Edgar Bergen (June 22, 1903 \u2013 September 30, 1978) was a very talented man and his artwork is definitely worth looking at. So we’ve done the looking for you. We’ve put together a collection of 18 of his best pieces of fine art prints from his collection of paintings and drawings.<\/p>\n
This blog is dedicated to the fine art prints done by Edgar Bergen. Edgar Bergen was an artist who was born in New Jersey and educated at the Art Institute of Chicago.<\/p>\n
While he was studying at the school, he worked as a production assistant in the art department at Paramount Studios. He also produced educational films for schools and taught screenwriting for a local college. After that, he worked as a freelance illustrator for many magazines and newspapers including The Saturday Evening Post, Life Magazine, Esquire, Collier’s Weekly and The New York Times.<\/p>\n
He started his own advertising agency during World War II, but when it went bankrupt in 1947, he decided to work full time as an artist.<\/p>\n
Bergen’s most famous works were his caricatures for MAD Magazine where he used to do drawings of celebrities such as W.C Fields, Fred Allen and others. His most famous work is “Last Supper” which is considered to be one of the greatest paintings in American Art history.<\/p>\n
As well as being a great artist, Edgar Bergen was also very generous with his time and money when it came to helping out other artists like him.<\/p>\n
Sideshow prints, designed for the carnival sideshow and circus freak show, were a popular form of entertainment in the early 20th century. The earliest sideshows were set up by wandering showmen in order to make money off of unsuspecting passersby. As time went on and sideshows became more popular, they became more sophisticated and specialized. They started including attractions such as freaks, exotic animals and curiosities from all over the world. This is when sideshow prints really began to take off.<\/p>\n
As far back as the 1700s, there have been documented cases of people selling prints that featured “freaks” or other oddities. It was not uncommon to see someone hawking unique pictures of a bearded lady or an armless man. Although these early prints were typically crudely drawn, they did take advantage of many different styles and techniques. Some would be simple line drawings while others were water colors or even full oil paintings. Most of these early works were sold for just pennies and most likely made their way through general stores and peddlers along with other cheap souvenirs for tourists.<\/p>\n
As time went on, sideshow prints became more sophisticated and more attractive to people who had a genuine interest in them as collectibles rather than just a passing<\/p>\n
It is a well documented fact that Edgar Bergen served as an artist during his career as a ventriloquist. It is unknown, however, just how many pieces of fine art prints were created by Edgar Bergen himself. One of the most popular artists to have ever lived, Bergen has been regarded as one of the best in his field.<\/p>\n
The amazing thing about Bergen’s art is that he did it all himself, with no help from his puppet friends. The images are most commonly done in oil paint, and take him up to a year to complete. In 2002, the book The Art of Edgar Bergen was released by Bear Manor Media, which included a foreword by Jim Henson and essays by Michael Davis, Jane Henson, and Brian Jay Jones.<\/p>\n
The artwork I have selected is the work of a very famous artist – Edgar Bergen.<\/p>\n
Edgar Bergen was born in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania on September 16th, 1903. His father was a vaudeville entertainer and his mother, who encouraged her son’s artistic talents, was a pianist.<\/p>\n
At age 16 Bergen started performing with his ventriloquist dummy Charlie McCarthy and as a result he became quite famous as an entertainer. He became a big star during the depression era and entertained thousands of people with his ventriloquism act that involved juggling, tap dancing and playing the banjo.<\/p>\n
His art was admired by many collectors and was displayed in galleries all over the world. Bergen’s most famous characters included Mortimer Snerd, Effie Klinker, Charlie McCarthy, Willie Whopper and Gargantua the Great.<\/p>\n
He passed away on September 30th 1988 at the age of 84 after having created more than 3000 pieces of fine art during his lifetime.<\/p>\n
Edgar Bergen was a talented artist who created the posters for hundreds of classic films of the 1930s, 40s and 50s.<\/p>\n
Bergen was a well-known ventriloquist who entertained many of Hollywood’s stars in his home. Movie studios often sent Bergen the posters for upcoming films to put on his walls. Many times he would hang these posters upside down because he felt that doing so would bring good luck to the film and its cast.<\/p>\n
The posters were hand drawn by Bergen and then signed by him. He would also draw caricatures of his friends, family members, and celebrities he met throughout his life. These drawings would be incorporated into the posters as well as sketched throughout each poster.<\/p>\n
Edgar Bergen loved art and encouraged his children to use their talents in this area as well. His daughter, Candice, became an artist and designed some of the early “Charlie McCarthy” dolls that were sold to collectors around the world.