SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 27, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- San Francisco Art Exchange LLC is proud to announce that it has been entrusted to exclusively represent the largest collection of artwork from the Brown Derby ever offered for sale; a collection of more than 200 artworks.

Over a period of more than 50 years, The Brown Derby restaurants amassed one of the most famous celebrity art collections of all time. For decades, icons of film, television, radio, stage and music gathered at these "in-locations" in Hollywood and Beverly Hills to see and be seen.

The most famous and notable were ultimately enshrined upon the restaurant walls in the form of paintings, drawings, photographs and caricatures. Tens of thousands competed to gain reservations to the restaurants over the decades to catch sight of personalities and to view the portraits that adorned the walls. Stars were born, deals struck and careers advanced in the especially designed low-backed booths of these restaurants; so designed to enhance "star-gazing."

Because of importance of this collection in entertainment and cultural history, San Francisco Art Exchange was chosen to help find a fitting buyer. Founded in 1983, San Francisco Art Exchange are the pioneers and premiere purveyors of important fine art and original photographs of pop iconography including imagery of rock music and jazz, Hollywood, civil rights, sports, historical events and personalities. Important sales have included the original art and photographs used to create the album covers of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," the Cars' "Candy-O" album cover, the Beatles "Abbey Road," Black Sabbath's "Never Say Die," Led Zeppelin's "In Through the Out Door" and many, many others.

The Hollywood Brown Derby collection includes more than 200 pieces, all of which hung on the walls of the Brown Derby restaurants and features:

*52 original pastel paintings by Nicholas Volpe from the Beverly Hills Brown Derby "Gold Record Room."  The Gold Record Room contained a fabulous and historic collection of paintings commemorating musicians who achieved record sales of one-million or more during the decades of the 40's and 50'sThe list includes a Who's Who of the recording industry of the era: Petula Clark, Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Pat Boone, Patti Page, Jerry Lewis, Sam Cooke, Dave Brubeck, Hank Williams, Lena Horne and many more.

*22 original drawings of Best Actor and Actress Oscar winners created for the Brown Derby by Nicholas Volpe and Douglas Bunn:  Bette Davis, Richard Dreyfus, Sally Field, Jon Voight, Katherine Hepburn, etc.

*21 Large Format original celebrity Photographs that were displayed in the Brown Derby restaurants. Included are Marilyn Monroe, Shirley Temple, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Rita Hayworth, Humphrey Bogart, and more.

*105 caricature facsimiles that hung in the Brown Derby, including Lou Costello, David Niven, Red Skelton, Anthony Quinn, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, and many, many more.

For a complete prospectus of the collection, contact Jim Hartley, Executive Director at the San Francisco Art Exchange (SFAE), 458 Geary St. San Francisco, CA 94102.  415-441-8840  info@sfae.com

About San Francisco Art Exchange

San Francisco Art Exchange represents the work of over 200 artists and personalities that include Jim Marshall, Ronnie Wood, Storm Thorgerson, Roger Dean, Graham Nash, Alberto Vargas, Stanley Mouse, Ethan Russell, Ringo Starr, Pattie Boyd, Tim Page, Joel Brodsky.

A stunning gallery located in the Union Square district of the city, San Francisco Art Exchange has hosted performances at their gallery by musicians such as visionary Brian Wilson and his band, as well as speakers including civil rights legend, Clarence Jones. The gallery contains nearly 3,000 artworks valued from $1,000 to more than $1 million.  For more information, go to www.sfae.com.

Photos accompanying this release are available at:

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