Much like the varying styles of poker play there are also many styles and forms of Poker Art. With the ever-increasing popularity of poker on television, many artists have used their talents to create Poker Art to fill the demand for things Poker. If you walk into a suburban art gallery today you’re almost guaranteed to find a piece of Poker Art that reflects the current popularity of the game.
There are many talented artists that offer a wide variety of original and limited edition poker art prints. There are poker paintings that depict scenes from old poker movies to abstract works of art that feature modern day poker celebrities.
During the recent surge in pokers popularity the number of artists offering poker art has exploded to the point that it is hard to decide upon which artist’s work to buy. Poker Art can range in price from fifty dollars for one of the lesser-known artists, to tens of thousands of dollars for an original Leroy Neiman..
Long before poker was socially acceptable enough to be viewed on television, there was very little mention of poker in any form of art. It was rare to see poker referred to in movies, TV shows and almost never in the form of painted art. One of the exceptions was the classic “Dogs playing Poker”. This series of 16 oil paintings by C. M. Coolidge, featured dogs at the poker table, smoking cigars, dancing, playing baseball, and testifying in court. Of the 16 paintings, the nine of Coolidge’s paintings in which dogs are seated around a card table playing poker and smoking cigars have become the most popular.
After spending years painting dogs in human situations, in 1903 an advertising firm, Brown & Bigelow commissioned a series of 16 paintings from Coolidge to depict dogs acting like humans for cigar advertisements. On February 15, 2005, two of these paintings, A Bold Bluff and Waterloo, sold for $590,400. The auction set an auction record for Coolidge, whose previous top sale was $74,000.
In 1980 Leroy Neiman released his painting “Stud Poker”. Due to the popularity of poker, signed copies of this poker art now sell for more than the original brought at its release. Today Leroy Neiman’s popular gaming prints have included Casino, International Roulette, Chemin de Fer, Gaming Table, Vegas Blackjack among others. In 2004, Neiman released “International Poker” that was an almost an immediate sellout.
An up and coming artist, Darci Faulkner is widely collected and has been honored with many national awards. Darci’s series of celebrity poker art paintings combine digital technology and her experience in the traditional mediums. Reflecting an influence of the genre developed by Andy Warhol and Peter Max, her style, embraces a whole new approach of combining the image of several celebrities to capture a specific moment in time.
Whether your taste runs from the realistic to the abstract, there are now many works of poker art to fit your taste and budget.
By Dennis B.
Dennis B. is a writer for Nostalgia Art. com where you can find accurate information about Poker Art and other related information.