A Pre-Production Concept Painting by Jack Martin Smith from "The Wizard of Oz." Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1939.
A Pre-Production Concept Painting by Jack Martin Smith from "The Wizard of Oz." Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1939.
Image via artdaily.com

The Wizard of Oz (1939), the iconic musical film starring Judy Garland, has spawned various memorabilia items for collectors (see Cowardly Lion Costume Sells for $3.1 Million at Bonhams).

In 2011, one of the three original pairs of Dorothy’s ruby slippers was secured by Leonardo Di Caprio and Steven Spielberg for an undisclosed amount.

Now, two original pre-production paintings by artist Jack Martin Smith are slated to go under the hammer on April 18, during the Entertainment & Music Memorabilia sale at Heritage Auctions in Beverly Hills.

The pieces were made as concepts before designing the film’s classic sets, and are estimated to fetch $8,000 each.

One painting shows the iconic main characters Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion at the moment of their first meeting with the Wizard. Befitting with that pivotal scene’s somber mood, the concept painting is rendered in dark shades, with the Wizard in white.

The second painting depicts a man on a horse, with the splendid Emerald City seen in the background, possibly corresponding to the movie’s “horse of a different color” scene.

“Anything associated with ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is special, but these paintings are not just linked to the most extraordinary film of all time, they’re simply exceptional pieces of art, too,” said Margaret Barrett, Director of Entertainment & Music auctions at Heritage.

Who knows, the rare paintings could end up in the soon-to-open Oscars Museum in Hollywood (see Oscars Museum Takes Off with Rare Prop From Stanley Kubrick Film 2001: A Space Odyssey).