AOIF acquires iconic “Charlotte’s Web” Cover Art
Los Angeles, CA, October 17, 2024 – The Arts of Imagination Foundation (AOIF) today announced their acquisition of Garth Williams’s original cover art for the book Charlotte’s Web in a private sale brokered by Justin Schiller of Battledore, Ltd. in New York.
E.B. White’s tale of friendship between a young pig named Wilbur and a barnyard spider named Charlotte has sold over 45 million copies and has been translated into 23 languages. It remains the best-selling children’s book in the United States. The book’s cover is an instantly recognizable example of illustration art and has rarely been displayed publicly.
The sale comes after a successful fundraising campaign AOIF launched earlier this year to acquire it. The beloved nature of Charlotte’s Web figured strongly in AOIF’s decision to make the cover part of their permanent collection.
The art comprises two pieces by Garth Williams: the original pen and ink illustration and a watercolor study. It will be publicly available as part of the Foundation’s continuing efforts to illuminate how stories and art influence our culture and inspire personal discovery.
Garth Williams (1912-1996) is one of the preeminent children’s book illustrators in American history. In addition to Charlotte’s Web, he devised the original artwork for Stuart Little, The Cricket in Times Square, and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s entire Little House series.
Brady Schwind, the Executive Director of AOIF notes: “The cover of Charlotte’s Web doesn’t depict a scene from the book, but rather a tableaux of the major characters. Their eyes are all on Charlotte – the smallest, who appears to be the most insignificant. However, It’s she who gets the title, the focus, and who changes the world with her actions.”
Charlotte’s Web marks the second major acquisition by AOIF in the past year. Last September, their purchase of John Collier’s controversial The Laboratory marked Collier’s first major genre painting to be acquired by a U.S. institute.
About The Arts of Imagination Foundation
The Arts of Imagination Foundation, 501(c)(3) preserves timeless stories and their inspired artwork, elevating our understanding of their cultural influence. With a growing collection that encompasses both historically significant works and new commissions, The Arts of Imagination Foundation brings art and story into unique environments to provide personally resonant conversations.
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