Sarahjane Blum, the newly appointed director of Illustration Art at Heritage Auctions, has 20 years of experience in the field with tenures as an art dealer, cultural historian, curator and writer. She is internationally recognized as an expert in the field. She is also the co-author of The Art of Pin-Up.

How will your background help you in this role as Heritage’s director of Illustration Art?

I’ve spent 20 years working with Illustration Art and becoming acquainted with artists, collectors and the market. I’ve come to have a deep understanding of why Illustration Art remains so resonant with people. It’s the visual language of our lives. My passion for sharing this art form has always been the guiding force in my career, and it will continue to be the ground from which I connect with collectors.

How different is this from what you were doing before joining the team at Heritage?

Before joining Heritage, I was the co-owner of an independent gallery in Minneapolis named Grapefruit Moon Gallery. We focused on original Illustration Art, Hollywood and glamour photography. In many ways, this role is a direct extension of what I’ve been doing to this point — seeking out and sharing the finest examples of Illustration Art around. The difference is that at Heritage I’m getting to work with as many pieces in a few weeks as I may have seen in a year at Grapefruit Moon Gallery. Additionally, the variety of these works and the museum-worthy quality of the art that we get to offer continue to amaze me.

Is there a specific area of Illustration Art that really speaks to you, one you’ve developed a passion for or interest in?

I’ve long had a deep fascination with pin-up art. At first glance, it seems so simple — a beautiful woman depicted with a lighthearted eroticism — but the pieces so often tell a much deeper story. For example, in the upcoming auction, we are offering an example by Gil Elvgren titled “Your Choice – Me?” that explores the tension between high and low culture and the artist’s own feelings about his reputation.

“Your Choice – Me?” by Gil Elvgren (American, 1914–1980), 1962, oil on canvas.

In the press release announcing your new role, you mentioned that this position will allow you to honor “the role that Illustration plays in the American story.” Could you tell us a little about this?

Virtually nothing is considered more American than Norman Rockwell, and that’s not just because of his particular ability to capture moments that felt emblematic and true to life. It’s because of how his imagery wove itself into so many people’s daily lives. When viewers recognized themselves in Rockwell’s Americana visions, they were reminded that they were part of a community of other people recognizing themselves as well.

We can draw that out to conversations about Illustration more broadly. The images that made their way into books, magazines and advertising campaigns both suggested how to look at the world and also reflected the vision people already had about it.

The role Illustration had in creating people’s visions of self and other in Twentieth Century America can’t be understated, and neither can the impact illustrators had on troubling the distinction between high and low culture.

Can you describe the current market for Illustration Art — how is it evolving and inviting new collectors?

The market for Illustration Art is very exciting right now. There continues to be a voracious appetite for established masters like Norman Rockwell that is growing enthusiasm and interest in the genre as a whole. We see that enthusiasm reflected in record-breaking prices for artists like Joseph Kernan and Eugene Iverd, as well as the new collectors who are dipping their toes in the market for the first time with each of our sales.

In terms of sci-fi, pulp and paperback art we are seeing a similar effect, with the runaway popularity of comic art and culture making the dramatic and resonant illustrations of crossover artists like Alex Schomburg irresistible.

Alex Schomburg’s (American, 1905-1998) 1954 gouache-on-board illustration for the dust jacket cover of The World at Bay by Paul Capon.

Are there any special auctions that we can look forward to seeing in 2024?

Our next sale is coming up on April 23, and it’s going to be an exciting one. In addition to our regular sessions, we have a single-owner catalog that features an incredible assortment of Golden Age Illustration, including Maxfield Parrish, J.C. Leyendecker, Norman Rockwell and many more artists. Partial proceeds of this session will be donated to the Salvation Army in dedication of Ed Jaster, who worked tirelessly to build the Illustration Art department at Heritage throughout his lifetime.

What can you tell us about your involvement with the recent Bunny Yeager documentary, Naked Ambition? What was it like to be involved in this film?

Working with the team who created Naked Ambition was great fun. In addition to giving the filmmakers access to the archives of Bunny Yeager and helping them get a sense of the scope of her legacy, I was interviewed at length by them.

It’s always fascinating to me when I get the chance to speak at length about a figure whose work is recognizable to the public but whose name may not be as familiar. Considering the question of why some artists’ and photographers’ work has such enduring power is one of my favorite parts of working with vintage art and photography.

I’m excited that we will be able to share Yeager’s work at auction later this year and hope that people will continue to catch the film while it’s on the festival circuit and when it has its theatrical and streaming release.

—Carly Timpson