The Gaslamp Quarter is the home of Bugs Bunny! Why do I say that? Because at 232 5th Ave. there is the Chuck Jones Gallery! The Chuck Jones Gallery is the destination for art collectors and visitors from around the world. Owned by Linda Jones Enterprises, the publisher and distributor of the art of the academy award winning legendary animation creator and director, Chuck Jones, it is the only gallery in San Diego devoted to the art of the animated film. Included in the on-going display is art from all major animation studios like the artwork of Theodore Geisel (aka. Dr. Seuss) who would have celebrated his 114th birthday March 2nd, 2018.
Actually in 1965 Geisel joined forces with Chuck Jones to create the first two animated films based on his books, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Horton Hears a Who. Guests and collectors of the gallery can actually see hand painted original production art used in the creation of those memory making films.
Chuck Jones Gallery is also one of the few galleries in the United States authorized to represent The Art of Dr. Seuss Collection. National Sales Director Mike Dicken says: “We are proud to provide our community with a rare opportunity to view and learn about the artistic legacy of Chuck Jones and Theodor Seuss Geisel, both some of the most significant American icons of our time.”
For over 60 years, Dr. Seuss’s illustrations have brought a visual realization to his fantastic and imaginary worlds. However, his artistic talent went far beyond the printed page and yet, to this day, his Secret Art Collection is virtually unknown to the general public. Throughout his lifetime, Ted Geisel created paintings and sculpture which he secreted away at the Dr. Seuss Estate.
Collectors can view and purchase limited edition works from Dr. Seuss’s best-known children’s books, and explore The Secret Art of Dr Seuss Collection, a mind-expanding collection based on decades of artwork that Dr. Seuss created at night for his own personal pleasure. Perhaps the wackiest and most wonderful elements of the collection are Dr. Seuss’s three-dimensional “Unorthodox Taxidermy” sculptures with names like The Carbonic Walrus, The Two-Horned Drouberhannis, and the Goo-Goo-Eyed Tasmanian Wolghast, to name a few.
Ted Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) asked his wife, Audrey, who lives on Mt. Soledad in San Diego, to wait until he was gone before bringing these works to the public. Secretly, he wanted to be recognized as a serious artist, but publicly, he was quick to describe his private works as “Midnight Paintings.” In her preface to the popular coffee table book on this collection, The Cat Behind the Hat, Audrey Geisel writes: “I’m gratified to carry out Ted’s wishes and have these works revealed to the world.”
Do yourself a favor and peruse the Secret Art Collection of Dr. Seuss, the genius of Chuck Jones and the featured artwork of all different animation studios at the The Chuck Jones Gallery. Log onto their Facebook, explore the gallery and start a collection. The gallery is located at 232 5th Ave. and open from 9AM-9PM Monday-Saturday, and 11AM-8PM Sunday.