Gerald Scarfe

b.1936
Gerald Scarfe is one of Britain’s most celebrated and distinctive artists, cartoonists and illustrators. His unmistakeable political cartoons have decorated the editorial pages of London’s most prestigious Sunday newspaper, The Sunday Times, for more than five decades. For The Daily Mail he also contributed editorial reportage in the 1960s from around the world, including memorable illustrations of the war in Vietnam. The same decade saw his work appearing regularly in two of the country’s most popular magazines, Private Eye and Punch, while he also contributed several of the most creative cover designs for Time magazine.

Beginning in the late-1970s he began a long collaboration with Pink Floyd, first with animated shorts for live performances in support of Wish You Were Here, and then he worked extensively on artwork for The Wall. His imagery appeared on the album cover, as stage props and as animations for the live concerts, and as featured animations in the film.

His journalistic and editorial work was merely the springboard for a life devoted to a dazzlingly diverse array of creative ventures. Over the course of his long and distinguished career, Scarfe’s talent has been turned to many other media beyond the printed page, including television (where, among other commissions, he provided the unforgettable opening title sequence for the BBC comedy classic, Yes, Minister); theatre; opera; ballet; and cinema, notably his work as Production Designer on the 1997 Disney animation, Hercules

His depictions of major British figures, past and present, were commissioned and exhibited by the National Portrait Gallery in 2003 – merely one of literally dozens of exhibitions of his work which have been staged since the late 1960s. He has been a regular broadcaster, most recently as the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Recycled Radio, and has also worked successfully as a film and TV director, a costume and set designer, and an author.

Among his many honours, he was awarded a CBE in HM The Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2008; and he was also invited to design a set of postage stamps for The Royal Mail. Since the 1960s, his drawings have often been collected in book form, most notably in his pictorial autobiography, Scarfe by Scarfe (1986), which was made into a BBC film, and also Drawing Blood, published in 2005. But perhaps his most familiar and widely seen work has arisen from his frequent collaborations with the rock band, Pink Floyd, on whose career he left an indelible and unique mark.

In 2017 SFAE was honored to be selected to offer Gerald Scarfe's original works from Pink Floyd The Wall for sale to collectors for the first time ever. We hosted an extraordinary exhibition of nearly two dozen original artworks from the making of the album sleeve (1979), the live concert tour performances (1980-81), and the award-winning film (1982). Among the sales of original artworks we achieved from this collection is the highest price ever paid for a Rock & Roll related painting: The Scream, the image used internationally on the film's poster, sold for $1.85 million!

We continue to be the key representative of original artworks from Scarfe's remarkable personal archive. A selection of originals and a very special commemorative limited edition signed print are featured below. For more information on available artworks including many not shown please CLICK HERE to request digital (PDF) catalogs.