An original Conan the Barbarian cover painting by Frank Frazetta has sold for $13.5 million to set records for fantasy art and the artist.
The picture illustrates a scene from the story Rogues in the House showing Conan fighting a character, Thak, the Man Ape after whom the picture is generally titled.
It was painted in 1966 and appeared on a 1967 collection of Conan stories published by Lancer/Ace.
It sold on September 12 at Heritage Auctions in a single-lot sale. A $6-million bid was lodged before the sale started.
That would have matched the record for a Frazetta work, made by Dark Kingdom in 2023.
Dark Kingdom was previously the most valuable Frazetta work.
The final price of $13.5 million is a record for Frazetta and for any fantasy artwork.
Frank Frazetta was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1928. He worked in comics and newspaper strips from his teens, later producing movie posters, and illustrations for fantasy books that helped create the Swords and Sorcery style.
Frazetta’s work was popular in rock and heavy metal scenes. Metallica’s Kirk Hammett paid over $1 million for a single piece.
Man Ape was sold by Frazetta’s children (he died in 2010). Daughter, Holly, told Fine Books Magazine: “The most gratifying aspect is knowing without a doubt how proud my dad would have been. He often talked about how much breaking records meant to him, but I don’t think he could have imagined this record!”
Conan was created by Robert E Howard in 1932, who wrote 21 Conan stories before his death by suicide in 1936.
Other authors picked up the character. In the 1970s Marvel made Conan comics, and, in 1982 the character was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s breakthrough film role. A sword from that movie made $176,400 at auction this year.
