Bidspirit auction | DISNEY WALT: (1901-1966)

DISNEY WALT: (1901-1966) - DISNEY WALT: (1901-1966) American animator, Academy Award winner, the recipient of an Honorary Academy Award in 1932. A good original pen and ink drawing signed by Disney, one page, 4to, n.p.. n.d. (1950s). In bold green ink Disney has penned a sketch of Donald Duck in a characteristic head and shoulders pose, his instantly recognisable features rendered with a series of confident, sweeping strokes, including his large expressive eyes and prominent bill, and wearing his familiar sailor collar and bow tie, with a loosely sketched sailor's cap upon his head. Signed ( ´Walt Disney´ ) by Disney with a large signature immediately beneath the image. Loosely matted in burgundy alongside a reproduction photograph of Disney seated in a three-quarter length pose and holding a book in his hands. Framed and glazed in a modern frame to an overall size of 20.5 x 15. Some heavy vertical and horizontal folds, one small circular area of paper loss to the centre of the page (affecting Donald Duck´s bill) and with a few small tears to the edges, G Provenance: Accompanied by a typed statement signed by Piero Pugiliese, dated 21st April 2009, and stating, in part, ´The Walt Disney signed Donald sketch originally belonged to Emile Kuri, who was working back in the 1950s for Disney. Emile was a chief designer for Walt, and is known for designing a lot of sets for Disney but also was actively involved in designing projects for Disneyland, including Walt Disney´s known Firehouse apartment. I acquired this item back in 1993. It has remained in my collection since then´. Emile Kuri (1907-2000) Mexican-born American set decorator and interior designer who joined Walt Disney Productions as head decorator in 1952 and worked closely with Walt Disney for almost two decades. Kuri won an Academy Award for his set decoration of Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) and subsequently worked on such productions as The Absent-Minded Professor, The Parent Trap, Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. His association with Disney extended beyond the studio: he contributed to the decoration of Disneyland, including the sailing ship Columbia, the Plaza Inn and Club 33, and also decorated Walt Disney's offices and private residences. Kuri had previously won an Academy Award for The Heiress (1949).