Bring "Farewell to Earth" to Museum
Please help bring the 1937 Jean Harlow painting "Farewell to Earth" to The Hollywood Museum in Hollywood.
My name is Darrell Rooney and I am co-author of the 2011 book "HARLOW in HOLLYWOOD". Apart from being a writer I am also a longtime Hollywood historian specializing in Jean Harlow's story. The 1937 painting "Farewell to Earth" is THE "Holy Grail" of all Harlow artifacts because it has been missing for over 50 years. Amazingly enough, the painting has emerged from a private collection in the Midwest and goes up for auction at the end of November.
I want to raise enough money to purchase the painting and donate it to The Hollywood Museum where it will be put on view for the public to see, and can remain in Hollywood; the Glamor Capitol, where it belongs forever.
When MGM movie star Jean Harlow died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1937, her grieving mother Mrs. Jean Bello comissioned painter Tino Costa to do this almost lifesize painting of her daughter. The framed painting is well over 6 feet high and about 4 or 5 feet wide. It is vibrant and beautiful, depicting Harlow ascending the earthly plane with one arm outstretched to the Heavens. This painting represents "the last piece of the puzzle" so to speak, in Jean Harlow's story. It was the main thing Mrs. Bello did to memorialize her daughter, to poignantly hang onto her even beyond death.
The fact that the mystery of the fate of this painting has emerged is amazing to me. It has been in a private collection in the Midwest for decades and is now being auctioned off as part of TCM's "Lights, Camera, Auction!" event to be held in NYC on November 30, 2016.
I first learned about it at a private dinner party from the auction associate assigned to recieve it the day it arrived in Los Angeles. I was literally the first person to learn of its existence beyond the auction house people. The emergence of the painting just fell in my lap - and I wrote the book! It makes me feel like I am supposed to be the conduit for this painting. I'm supposed to usher it to its new home. I want the world to see it. And I think that is what Mrs. Bello would want. I want it to go on exhibit at The Hollywood Museum in Hollywood, as the centerpiece in a Harlow Exhibit to commemmorate the 80th Year of Jean Harlow's Passing. That would be the most worthy thing I could do with this mazing artifact.
The painting's is estimated to go for $30 - $50 thousand dollars. Yes, its a lot of money. It's well out of my own personal price range. And with 20% commission and taxes on top of the winning bid, I am turning to this fundraising site for help. Please consider helping. This is a piece of the Golden Age of Hollywood that should be kept in Hollywood. If 1500 people gave $20 each that would be $30k. Something as small as that helps. If you can give more, it gets me closer to securing a winning bid for this item. Time is of the essence; we are just days away from the November 30th auction date. If you treasure the memory of Jean Harlow in any way, please help bring this most significant painting to The Hollywood Museum, so that 'We' the public can gaze once again on her beautiful face.Save Harlow Painting
My name is Darrell Rooney and I am co-author of the 2011 book "HARLOW in HOLLYWOOD". Apart from being a writer I am also a longtime Hollywood historian specializing in Jean Harlow's story. The 1937 painting "Farewell to Earth" is THE "Holy Grail" of all Harlow artifacts because it has been missing for over 50 years. Amazingly enough, the painting has emerged from a private collection in the Midwest and goes up for auction at the end of November.
I want to raise enough money to purchase the painting and donate it to The Hollywood Museum where it will be put on view for the public to see, and can remain in Hollywood; the Glamor Capitol, where it belongs forever.
When MGM movie star Jean Harlow died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1937, her grieving mother Mrs. Jean Bello comissioned painter Tino Costa to do this almost lifesize painting of her daughter. The framed painting is well over 6 feet high and about 4 or 5 feet wide. It is vibrant and beautiful, depicting Harlow ascending the earthly plane with one arm outstretched to the Heavens. This painting represents "the last piece of the puzzle" so to speak, in Jean Harlow's story. It was the main thing Mrs. Bello did to memorialize her daughter, to poignantly hang onto her even beyond death.
The fact that the mystery of the fate of this painting has emerged is amazing to me. It has been in a private collection in the Midwest for decades and is now being auctioned off as part of TCM's "Lights, Camera, Auction!" event to be held in NYC on November 30, 2016.
I first learned about it at a private dinner party from the auction associate assigned to recieve it the day it arrived in Los Angeles. I was literally the first person to learn of its existence beyond the auction house people. The emergence of the painting just fell in my lap - and I wrote the book! It makes me feel like I am supposed to be the conduit for this painting. I'm supposed to usher it to its new home. I want the world to see it. And I think that is what Mrs. Bello would want. I want it to go on exhibit at The Hollywood Museum in Hollywood, as the centerpiece in a Harlow Exhibit to commemmorate the 80th Year of Jean Harlow's Passing. That would be the most worthy thing I could do with this mazing artifact.
The painting's is estimated to go for $30 - $50 thousand dollars. Yes, its a lot of money. It's well out of my own personal price range. And with 20% commission and taxes on top of the winning bid, I am turning to this fundraising site for help. Please consider helping. This is a piece of the Golden Age of Hollywood that should be kept in Hollywood. If 1500 people gave $20 each that would be $30k. Something as small as that helps. If you can give more, it gets me closer to securing a winning bid for this item. Time is of the essence; we are just days away from the November 30th auction date. If you treasure the memory of Jean Harlow in any way, please help bring this most significant painting to The Hollywood Museum, so that 'We' the public can gaze once again on her beautiful face.Save Harlow Painting
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