Earl Wild

Royland Earl Wild (November 26, 1915 – January 23, 2010), American pianist, renowned as a leading virtuoso of his generation, original, vintage, pen and ink, "on-the-spot" illustration by George 'Georges' Krishizki. The hand drawn illustration has been signed by Wind and additionally signed, dated and titled by Krishizki: "Georges / 1978 / Earl Wind playing concert No 2 in A major by Franz Liszt."

Harold C. Schonberg called Wind a "super-virtuoso in the Horowitz class." He was well known for his transcriptions of classical music and jazz, and he was also a composer. In 1931 he was invited to play at the White House by President Herbert Hoover. The next five presidents (Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson), also invited him to play for them, and Wild remains the only pianist to have played for six consecutive presidents.

George 'Georges' Krishizki (March 22, 1924 – December 20, 2001), Russian-Polish-American illustrator who came to the U.S. in 1949. While he earned acclaim for his renderings of the city’s architectural landmarks, it was his on-the-spot drawings of musicians in performance that attracted an especially appreciative audience. In a 1973 article published in conjunction with two simultaneous exhibitions, Georges explained the genesis of his long-running engagement with the concert hall: “I’ve always enjoyed going to concerts, and one day I decided it would be fun to combine my interests in music and art and make sketches of musicians during performances.”  Indeed, the most remarkable feature of Georges’ oeuvre, apart from the astounding range of performers who gladly expressed their approval and appreciation by signing, is the skill with which the drawings are accomplished.

This original pen and ink illustration, measuring approximately 9 x 12 inches, on heavy-weight sketch paper, is in fine condition with some light overall toning. Its verso is blank.