In 1961, Ronald Searle took note of the hype preceding the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair and submitted a magazine cover proposal for the New Yorker on the subject of the creative ferment already surrounding the event. His artwork shows a kinetic sculptor working, it seems, in the media of flags of the world and bicycle wheels. The sculptor is seen applying an oil can to a presumably squeaky wheel. The artwork is clever, colorful, and fanciful, maybe too fanciful for the New Yorker of 1961. Perhaps it was too early for the New Yorker's cover art to begin referencing the World's Fair at all, too early even for the editors to dedicate the cover to a beatnik sculptor drawn by that upstart Searle, whose first New Yorker cover would not be published until 1969.
Note: Thanks to David from Manhattan for providing the Searle scan. This artwork first appeared online in 2008 on the Ronald Searle Tribute blog in the post entitled "Private Collections."
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:
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| Ronald Searle Proposed New Yorker cover art, 1961 |
Searle couldn't have known in 1961 that it was to be Walt Disney who actually would bring a signature kinetic sculpture to the New York World's Fair. The Tower of the Four Winds was designed by Imagineer Rolly Crump. The 120-foot-tall Fairground landmark was demolished after the fair closed, but a small scale model is on display today at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando.
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| Rolly Crump, The Tower of the Four Winds model The Small World pavilion New York World's Fair 1964-1965
Disney's Contemporary Resort
Walt Disney World
March 26, 2008
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Rolly Crump and Walt Disney with the model, c. 1964
Disney's Contemporary Resort
Walt Disney World
March 26, 2008
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| Rolly Crump The Tower of the Four Winds The Small World Pavilion New York World's Fair 1964-1965 |
Disneyland Goes to the World's Fair (1964)
The Tower of the Four Winds is shown starting at 31:27
Rolly Crump Discusses the Dismantling
of the Tower of the Four Winds
The Tower of the Four Winds
CGI recreation
June 3, 2018 Update: This piece was listed in 2013 by Taraba Illustration Art.
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| Ronald Searle,Proposed New Yorker cover art, 1961 |
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| Taraba Illustration Art Retrieved August 10, 2013 |
Note: Thanks to David from Manhattan for providing the Searle scan. This artwork first appeared online in 2008 on the Ronald Searle Tribute blog in the post entitled "Private Collections."
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:
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