1965 Sister Mary Corita "Power Up" Serigraph
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GUEST:
So I brought in an original serigraph by Sister Mary Corita Kent that I acquired either the summer of '66 or '67. I went to an art show at the Immaculate Heart of Mary College in Los Angeles. Was lucky enough in the midst of seeing all of her prints and serigraphs to find this one little one on a table in the middle of the room. And I took it over to the lady who was taking our money, and thinking I could never, ever afford it-- I was a college student-- and she said, "$35." And I think I wrote a check off my parents' account...
APPRAISER:
(chuckles)
GUEST:
...to pay for it.
APPRAISER:
Why were you drawn to it? Why did you buy it?
GUEST:
So I had been interested in her for quite a while. I think what attracted me to her was that A, she used really bright colors to try to make religion relevant. And she introduced people to a, a modern take on, on religion at that time.
APPRAISER:
The reason she used the serigraph process, which is silk screening, was that it was the least expensive and most economical, and easy to produce a lot of prints. So she did that specifically so more people could enjoy and afford her work.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
So it was such a surprise to you that it was affordable, but you really, you, you must have made her so happy, because that was exactly what she wanted from her work.
GUEST:
Oh, that's cool.
APPRAISER:
It's from 1965, and like almost all of her pieces, it is hand-signed in pencil, but it's not numbered. We know she printed more than one because she was trying to get her art out into the masses. And in 1965, she was doing a series of works, uh, with the title "Power Up."
GUEST:
Ah.
APPRAISER:
And "Power Up" actually is taken from popular culture. And her work was influenced by Andy Warhol. It was influenced by the Pop Art movement. "Power up" was the slogan of the Richfield Oil Company. When the Richfield Oil Company used it, it meant, "Power up, fill your car with our gasoline, power it up."
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
But Corita took it to a level where "power up" had a higher meaning, a more spiritual meaning. And the phrase "power up" appears on several of her works from the mid-1960s. Some are accompanied by quotations by famous pastors. This one in particular is accompanied by a quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke, from his book "Letters to a Young Poet." And on the top, it says "December 25, and always interested in birthdays." And of course, we know whose birthday was on December 25.
GUEST:
Exactly.
APPRAISER:
It was the birth of Christ. And so I think it's a wonderful example of how Corita wraps up the secular and the religious into this one piece and presents it in a modern way. This is really introducing religious themes to the masses in a way that can be very easily absorbed. So Corita was also a prolific artist. All told in her career, she designed almost 800 different serigraphs.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness.
APPRAISER:
In the years after you bought this, she rose to somewhat of a, of a meteoric level of fame. In 1964, she was chosen by the Vatican to design a mural for their pavilion at the New York World's Fair. In 1966, the Los Angeles Times voted her one of the nine most influential women of the year, along with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Jean King.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And then in 1967, she was on the cover of Newsweek magazine. So she really was a superstar. Throughout my years, 24 years being on the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, a lot of works by Sister Corita have come through the doors.
GUEST:
Ah!
APPRAISER:
And for years and years, I would say to the people, "This is really lovely. This is really nice.”
GUEST:
(chuckles)
APPRAISER:
"But, frankly, religious art doesn't carry much weight in the market." And only recently I've had an epiphany, if you will.
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
What I like to call a come-to ANTIQUES ROADSHOW moment. And in fact, the, the market has reevaluated her work. This particular piece has never come up for sale before.
GUEST:
Oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
It is small for her work. At auction, I would estimate it between $1,500 and $2,000.
GUEST:
Holy cow! (stammering) I'm shocked.
APPRAISER:
"Hallelujah," I was hoping you were going to say.
GUEST:
(laughing)
APPRAISER:
The high-water mark for her works, in 2020, one of her works sold for $10,000.
GUEST:
Holy cow.
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