Chuck Jones
Bugs Bunny hand painted Looney Tunes film cel by Chuck Jones
20th Century

About the Item

Chuck Jones (American, 1912-2002) Untitled (Bugs Bunny), Second half of the 20th Century Hand painted animation film cel Sight: 10 x 12 in. Framed: 16 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. Stamped lower left Inscribed lower right (obscured by mat) "A small child once said to me. 'You don't draw Bugs Bunny, you draw pictures of Bugs Bunny.' -Chuck Jones Animation artist Chuck Jones helped bring to life many characters during the Golden Age of animation, including some of Warner Bros. most famous Looney Tunes characters, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Porky Pig. The list of characters he created himself goes on to Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Pepe Le Pew, and many others. Born in 1912 in Spokane, Washington, Jones grew up in Hollywood where he witnessed the talents of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton and worked occasionally as a child extra in Mac Sennett comedies. He graduated from Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, (now California Institute of the Arts), and began drawing pencil portraits for a dollar a piece on Olvera Street. In 1932, he got his first job in the fledgling animation industry as a cel washer for former Disney animator, Ubbe Iwerks. It was at Iwerks Productions that he met Dorothy Webster, whom he married in 1932. He joined the Leon Schlesinger Studio, later sold to Warner Bros., as an animator in 1936. In 1937, Jones' daughter, Linda, was born, and in 1938, at age 25, he directed his first animated film, 'The Night Watchman'. He remained at Warner Bros animation until it closed in 1962, aside from a brief stint with Disney Studios in 1955. At Warner, he worked with Tex Avery and Bob Clampett, among others. During his years there, sometimes called the 'Golden Age of Warner Bros animation', some of the most enduring cartoons ever made were produced, most of them still recognized today. Jones went on to head the animation division at MGM Studios, creating new episodes for 'Tom and Jerry' cartoon series and others, and directing 'Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas'. After the death of his first wife, Jones married Marian Dern. In the late 1970s Jones and his daughter, Linda, began an art business featuring images from Jones' cartoons. In 1992, 'What's Up Doc?' became the first animated film to be inducted into the National Film Registry for being "among the most culturally, historically or aesthetically significant films of our time". His art has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums, including a one-man film retrospective at MoMa in New York City. Biography sourced from the Archives of AskArt

Creator:

Chuck Jones (1912 - 2002)

Creation Year:

20th Century

Dimensions:

Height: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)Width: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)

Period:

20th Century

Condition:

Not examined outside of the frame.

Gallery Location:

Larchmont, NY