Wesley Willis Art

Call for High Resolution Images of Wesley Willis Art

Hello all. I am writing an article about Wesley Willis art for the Mexico-based art magazine, La Tempestad.

What we really need are high-resolution images of Wesley Willis art. Send any pics to me at danielx[at]gmail[dot]com or just upload them to Flickr tagged with wesleywillis and/or added to the  Wesley Willis pool.

These images will reproduced in print, so the better the quality, the better chance it has in appearing in the mag.

Please note the title, year, and owner of the piece. Plus it's always nice to hear about the background on a piece-- how it came into your life.

Thanks!

Dan Ryan / State Police from the 90s

Recent Ebay sale of Dan Ryan / State Police from the 90s, impressive at 29 bids with a final price of $910. September 12, 2007

..WESLEY WILLIS SIGNED 'DRAWN BY WESLEY WILLIS PAST 52ND ST. NEAR 51ST.. ORIGINAL dan ryan . 28X41. ON ARTIST'S BOARD..no date but was bought with two others 84 and 85...the style of the State Police cars suggest it is early.the two buses have wonderful ads...many people say ones with the police cars are highly sought after..in the distance are the Sears Tower and Mc Donalds.and the projects where he grew up...I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT WESLEY WOULD SIT AT MICHIGAN AVENUE AND COULD DRAW 35TH AND THE DAN RYAN from memory ...DETAILS AND ALL..THE COLORS ARE VERY GOOD...THESE ARE GETTING VERY VERY HARD TO FIND AND VERY EXPENSIVE..CRIMPED CORNERS...AS USUAL....

Sears Tower 1985

Unique Sears Tower from 1985 goes for $405. September 11, 2007.

wesley willis.SIGNED DRAWN BY WESLEY WILLIS WEARS TOWER IN VERY GOOD condition..all of his details and IN A BLACK BALL POINT DRAWING...LIKE AN ARCHITECTURAL CREATION MEASURING 13X20.. A 1 INCH THIN STRIP ALONG THEBOTTOM IS SCUFFED ..AND AFEW DINGSIN RIGHT UPPER SKY BUT NOTHING DETRACTING IN MY OPINION..THE SMALL ONES ARE HARD TO FIUND AND A GREAT6 FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN USE A LARGE ON...WESLEY IS A LEGEND... YOU ARE BIDDING AS IS NO RETURNS...THANKS..A FIVEDAY AUCTION

Lakefront, 1996

I was surprised to see that this "The Lakefront" went for $910-- didn't see it as being a super-fantastic example. Seems prices are rising after being stable for a couple years. July 20, 2007

Wesley Willis Drawing "The Lakefront" 1996
Measures 28" x 40"
Some edge wear, I tried to show in pictures, I think a nice frame would cover any of the small imperfections.
These are getting harder and harder to find, especially earlier pieces like this.
The color is still very vivid, this will look great on any wall.

I purchased this from the man himself at a show in Dayton, Ohio at the Subgalley, in 96.
He performed a solo set, and then performed with the Fiasco. I have held onto it for many years, but a recent move and lack of employment have forced me to part with it. This is a rare opportunity to own an original piece of art, that is only getting harder to find.

Shoreline, 1996

Wesley Willis "the shoreline 1996" marker drawing on board, 41x28 inches, went for $610. Very good piece. Interesting bubble type on the signature-- rare. July 14, 2007.

Rare early landscape drawing by the one and only Wesley Willis. As with most Wesley drawing this was made on location and shows some of bumps and condition marks from him walking around the city with it in a bag with his folding chair and box of markers. The corners are dented but the piece still looks amazing under glass in a nice frame. The price of wesleys drawings have been going up every year and this early piece would make a great investment.

"It's the Shoreline, 2002"

Wesley Willis Original Drawing. "It's drawn by wesley willis. It's the shoreline, 2002". View of Chicago shoreline. Went for $680-- another sign of a healthy market for Wesley Willis Art. July 5, 2007.

Original, absolutely authentic work by Wesley Willis. in great condition with no stains and virtually no scrapes, bumps etc. Color is vivid and unfaded (I have stored the work wrapped since its purchase.)

The work measures 42 x 28 inches an is on artist's board.

I honestly hate having to sell this work - but I'm planning a trip to Italy with my girlfriend and can use all the extra dough I can get!

Wesley Willis Drawing Chicago From Memory

Here's a comment below from a proud Wesley Willis art owner. It's always great to hear from people who have Wesley Willis art to get stories of how they came into contact with their pieces. I think this comment is also interesting because it's one example of what's obvious by looking at Wes' later work-- that he drew his standard lakefront scene, with its jumble of buildings and bushes, again and again from memory. Interesting stuff, but a far cry from his intensely detailed 80s and early 90s stuff.

I worked at a cafe/venue called bon appetit in mpls, Minnesota Wesely played a two nighter there on new years eve of 02 Or 03 I work the deli counter that night and ended up buying one of his drawings. I knew him through his music but did not know at the time he was a visual artist. I watched him draw it with a mix of blue pen and neon crayola markers. he drew the whole thing in about a half hour from memory. Its a lake scene from somewhere in Chicago. I love it.

Wesley Willis Art Market

One of the things I've tried to do on this site is document the sales history of Wesley Willis art on ebay. By dong this, we can get a general feel for what pieces are going for in the real world. Just browse through the site and click on any ebay link. You'll get the closing bid on all of the auctions. Examples:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190102860603&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1#ebayphotohosting

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=320091836827&rd=1&rd=1

Plus all of the links in this post:

http://www.wesleywillisart.com/2007/02/slotkin_folk_ar.html

Update: "White House on the North Side" Sold

Written about previously here, it went for $1,000. It's definitely rare, but the fact that it went for so much is a good sign about the market. May 31, 2007

Exhibition WW vs. GRRRR at Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, 28th April – 24th June 2007

A commenter pointed me to this gallery catalog and art show over in Europe of Wesley Willis Art. Some great work.