Description

A rare piece of art by Victor Jules Bergeron (American, 1902-1984), yes that Trader Vic of Hinky Dinks and Trader Vic’s tiki fame! Did you know Vic was an accomplished painter and sculptor? Yes he was. He sculpted lots of animals, figures, both small table top sized works like this one and large public art sculptures a few of which are located in parks in the Bay area. There is a cat bronze statue that stands outside of McCone Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. The Academy of Sciences is a wonderful museum in Golden Gate Park. On the grounds are a couple of Vic’s large scale sculptures of two seals. This fantastic piece is of a seated monkey holding her baby . Lots of expression in the faces of both, the parent with a surprised “oooo” and the baby with a huge smile. Victor’s usual initial signature appears on the back of the base: VJB . The casting has two bolt tabs on the underside if you wanted to secure it to a surface from underneath. There are also a couple of inscribed “#4” underneath. Height: just under 8” | Diameter across bottom: 6” – 6.5” Weight: 10.4lbs Condition: excellent! No notable issues. As shown there was likely green velvet material across the bottom, since removed. Wiki: Bergeron attended Heald College in San Francisco. On November 17, 1934, using $500 in borrowed money, Bergeron opened a small bar/restaurant across from his parents' grocery store at San Pablo Avenue and 65th Street in the Golden Gate District of Oakland. He named it Hinky Dink's. As its popularity spread, the menu and decor developed an increasingly tropical flair, and Hinky Dink's soon became Trader Vic's. During the Tiki culture fad of the 1950s and 1960s, as many as 25 Trader Vic's restaurants were in operation worldwide. Check out all my other Tiki listings! -- Seller Info Notes: Check my other auctions! Mostly selling VINTAGE items I find interesting, because I can’t keep it all, heh. Usually that’s ceramics, art, barware, and other collectibles. Shipping: For “Reasonable Shipping” cost, I never ‘make money’ on shipping = the rates are the actual carrier rates. I always compare dimensional size/weight, and flat-rate, and carriers to get you the best ship price! I’m happy to ‘group’ items for a bundle buy, just message me and tell what things you’re looking at. I always combine shipments when possible to get you the best rate (keep in mind, when it’s practical - things like a poster & ceramic jar aren’t gonna work together 😊 ) Cheers, thanks for looking.