Eyvind Earle

A prolific career that spanned more than six decades, Eyvind Earle is known for his stunning visuals and attention to detail. At just fourteen years old, he had his first showing in France and from there his fame kept growing. Along with a separate business venture designing Christmas cards, Earle joined the Walt Disney Studio in 1951. After working on background art for 1953’s Peter Pan and other Disney shorts, he brought his unique Renaissance-inspired style to life with 1959’s Sleeping Beauty. Earle was given significant freedom in choosing the colors for the film, and his influence is readily apparent in every single frame. With a well-loved style that is still highly praised, RR Auction has been proud to offer several pieces of Earle’s work over the years.

Sleeping Beauty‘s castle is one of the film’s iconic pieces of imagery, and at RR Auction those gorgeous pieces have been Earle’s most popular. Between July and November of 2020, RR Auction sold three of Earle’s concepts for Sleeping Beauty’s castle for a combined value of over $90,000. Each of these pieces displays the castle looming over the lush countryside against a bright blue sky. Several trademarks of Earle’s style are readily apparent, from the square tree tops to his meticulous detail work. His concepts were later used to recreate Sleeping Beauty’s castle in the flesh at Disneyland Paris in 1987.

This eye for detail served him well when painting the film’s backgrounds, such as with this production cel of the menacing Maleficent emerging from her castle. The production background that this cel is applied to was a master background painted by Earle and his staff. The dark green and blue tones give the setting an eerie glow, and Earle highlighted the degradation of the castle using cracks in the stone foundation and surrounding rubble. 

With a passion for art that is still praised today, collectors have been quick to reach for their wallets and add a new display piece to their collection. Reach out to one of our professionals today – your Eyvind Earle pieces may get some magical offers! Click the consign button below to begin the appraisal process or dial 800-937-3880.