Josh Kirby’s art has adorned hundreds of book covers – perhaps most notably dozens of Terry Pratchett novels, especially the bestselling Discworld series.
His body of work is far more wide-ranging, though – Kirby’s paintings have graced the covers of volumes by Ray Bradbury, Ian Fleming, HG Wells, Jack Kerouac, Herman Melville and Neil Gaiman, and he’s done posters for movies including the Star Wars franchise.
Now the family of the artist, who died in 2001, is looking for a philanthropist of the arts to keep the vast collection of original paintings together and make sure Kirby’s original artworks are preserved for posterity in one or more museums or galleries.
Rob Liano, representing the Kirby estate, said: “There are roughly 400 finished paintings but also a couple of hundred sketches of various media, ranging from detailed gouache renditions to pencil and pen sketches. It’s a vast collection spanning seven decades and a beautiful narrative of Josh’s workflow, creative process and artistry.
“Our goal is to increase and prolong Josh’s legacy, whether through a foundation or scholarship in his honour, expanding the product line, increased publicity and continuing to expose his works to gain more recognition for his impact on the art world – and that takes funding.”
Whoever takes on the project will need fairly deep pockets. “It would have to be somewhere in seven figures,” says Liano.
At the age of 22, Ronald William Kirby was commissioned to paint the portrait of the then mayor of Liverpool, Alderman Joseph Jackson Cleary.
It was 1950, and Kirby by then was known as Josh, a nickname given to him during his six years at the Liverpool College of Art by fellow students who compared his work to Sir Joshua Reynolds, the 18th-century portraitist. But Kirby, born in Waterloo, Liverpool, in 1928, would leave both his home city and portrait painting behind as he moved to London to forge a career in book cover art – especially science fiction and fantasy.
His first published painting was the cover of a now-forgotten science fiction novel by Dan Morgan, Cee-Tee Man, in 1954. Two years later he was commissioned to create a cover for the Pan paperback edition of Ian Fleming’s James Bond adventure Moonraker. During the 1970s, Kirby’s career flourished and he moved into film poster artwork, including for the Star Wars sequel Return of the Jedi.
From the mid-1960s until he died in 2001 at the age of 72, Kirby lived and worked in a former rectory in Norfolk, choosing a cramped space as his studio. Liano said: “He painted the majority of the time in a narrow space with a large window letting in north light. This space was literally a pantry off the dining room. There was enough room for his chair, easel, a little radio and one wall lined with many, many piles of sketches and reference material. There may or may not have been a skull residing at the top of one of the piles, which has appeared in more than one of Josh’s horror illustrations.”
The estate has had lots of approaches to buy individual pieces from the hundreds of paintings, but it is keen to keep the collection together, perhaps spread out over several galleries, organised by theme.
Liano added: “We have intentionally kept the collection intact and would prefer it stay that way as much as possible because it’s rare to have a collection this large by one artist. It can be separated by genre – horror, sci-fi, Discworld, etc – without dilution and can live in perpetuity that way.”
Liano said that the family is looking for a permanent home or homes for the collection – currently most of the paintings are in storage – so that the work can “inspire and impact more artists, and fans of his art can view it in person”. He added: “We are passionate about placing the works in scenarios where their stories can continue to be told within the context of the history of the genres that Josh helped to shape.”
Fraser Scott, who runs the London-based A Gallery and also acts as an agent for artists, has been working with the Kirby estate on its search for a patron. He said: “A collection like Josh Kirby’s needs to be public because it such a broadly known part of our culture.
“While it may be obvious in 2024 how Kirby’s works for Star Wars, Discworld, Hitchcock Presents or countless other examples are important, hundreds of years into the future that importance is tremendously magnified – when we look back at artefacts from the 1700s, we wish so much more had been preserved for history.
“Here’s a chance to ensure one of the great artists of our time [has] his original paintings conserved and available to view for generations to come.”
And if a philanthropist is not forthcoming? “We haven’t decided what will happen then,” said Liano. “But we would never sell it off in pieces to the point where the collection is completely diluted. Josh would never want that.”
