BEN WICKS (1926-2000) Pair of Original Signed Cana

Updated September 18, 2026

An engaging pair of original signed ink drawings by celebrated Canadian cartoonist, illustrator and social commentator Ben Wicks (1926-2000), offered together as evocative examples of the economical draftsmanship, visual wit and incisive observational humour that made Wicks one of the most recognizable figures in Canadian newspaper cartooning. Executed primarily in black ink on individual 9 x 6 inch illustration or production boards, each composition is signed “Wicks” at lower left and retains visible evidence of the artist's working process, including pale blue non-reproducing border lines, blue-pencil construction or editorial marks and handwritten production notation. The first drawing presents three formally dressed men arranged on a seesaw, the central figure standing directly over the fulcrum while extending his arms toward the seated figures at either end - a wonderfully concise Wicksian image of balance, authority, negotiation and competing interests. The companion composition is more surreal in conception, presenting a descending procession of caricatured male heads transformed into fish-like forms, their dramatically changing scale producing an immediately memorable visual joke. Particularly appealing to collectors is the survival of both works as original hand-drawn working art rather than printed reproductions: the ink lines, preliminary blue-pencil passages and editorial markings preserve the immediacy of Wicks's creative and production process and give the sheets considerable documentary character. British-born and ultimately one of Canada's best-known cartoonists, Wicks developed a highly distinctive visual language capable of communicating social observation and satire with remarkably few lines, and original drawings by his hand occupy a compelling intersection of Canadian art, political and editorial cartooning, journalism, illustration history and 20th-century popular culture. As unique original artworks, this complementary pair offers two markedly different demonstrations of Wicks's celebrated ability to distill human behaviour and contemporary life into direct, instantly readable imagery. Both sheets show expected working and age-related characteristics, including light handling marks, scattered surface soiling or toning, occasional small stains, blue-pencil production marks and minor edge and corner wear, all consistent with their apparent history as working illustration boards. A highly collectible pairing for admirers of Ben Wicks, Canadian political cartoons, original cartoon art, editorial illustration, newspaper history, Canadian cultural history and vintage 20th-century illustration. Dimensions: 9 x 6 inches each.

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