Created to be used on-air before and after commercials for NBC’s Late Night with David Letterman, a curated selection of the original, one-of-a-kind “Bumpers” will be auctioned off through SANTA MONICA AUCTIONS on Sunday, May 31, 2015.
From 1982-1992, Marc Karzen photographed a series of slice-of-life-moments that punctuated segments, introduced guests and branded this historic ground breaking show.
This unique collection of artwork was all photographed by Marc Karzen and has been stored in his archives for more than two decades. They have never been displayed or viewed by the public until now.
Each photograph in the Art of Late Night collection is a master C-print, some with hand collage and all are signed en verso by the artist. The Late Night nomenclature is included in every image. These striking, witty and inventive artworks were used multiple times throughout the eleven years that Letterman’s show was on NBC.
The longest-tenured late night talk show host at more than 33 years, Letterman will host his last show on May 20, 2015 with the live action scheduled for Sunday, May 31.
Thirty-three of the original bumpers have been chosen for the auction to celebrate David Letterman’s late night broadcast career.
“When I met Marc and discovered that he had these historical, yet truly cultural tributes to one of our leading satirical voices, I was amazed with the creativity and imagination of this talented artist/photographer,” said Robert Berman, founder of SANTA MONICA AUCTIONS. “This work was created for TV – pre-digital and pre-photoshop – and to be able bring them to an audience now, after 22 years, is extremely exciting. It’s like opening a time capsule and while they reflect the era, the images can still put a smile on our faces, are fresh conceptually and have stood the test of time. It will be a chance to own a piece of television history.”
In addition to the “Late Night” images, the auction will feature a number of other important pieces of ephemera that mark important art exhibitions in Los Angeles history. They include original posters and invitations from Ferus and Dwan Galleries. Both galleries are credited for making critical contributions to the nascent L.A. art scene, and bringing west coast attention to the works of Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Edward Kienholz and Robert Rauschenberg.
A preview and talk with the artist Marc Karzen, discussing the halcyon days of his work on Late Night with David Letterman, will be held at the space on Friday May 8, from 5-8pm.
A complete viewing of the 33 chosen lots can be viewed at www.SMAuctions.com. To view a 1985 documentary about the making of the one of the most popular bumpers from the “Room Service” series, visit www.MarcKarzen.com. The auction will take place on Sunday, May 31 beginning at 12 noon, at SANTA MONICA AUCTIONS, Bergamot Station Arts Center, Suite B7, 2525 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404. For more information, please call 310 315 1937 or email:info@smauctions.com.
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