Gallery Lainzberg - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Remembering Gallery Lainzberg.
by John Cairns and Wanda Lunn

I. Creation and Evolution - the Rudman Legacy

Edith and Burt Rudman were a young married American couple teaching school in
Tehran, Iran in the early 1970's. When they decided to return to their home in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1975, they were offered a collection of animation art from a
fellow teacher in Iran. He offered the art that was stored in Los Angeles and struck
a deal for the Rudmans to sell it and split the proceeds. The Rudmans discovered a
wonderful group of original animation cels and decided to place an ad in some
collectible magazines to see if there was an interest. They were shocked by the large
number of responses to their advertisements and then discovered an avid audience
for animation art.

Brazenly calling on the major animation studios, they found out that there was no
organized way that cels and animation related art was being sold to collectors. Other
than a few things sold at the Disneyland Art Corner store, the art was generally not
being shown to the public for sale.

So they devised a plan to open an animation art business back in Iowa using their
new studio contacts and their now growing list of collectors. Gallery Lainzberg
opened its door in a small suite on the 4th floor of the Guaranty Bank Building in
downtown Cedar Rapids in the fall of 1975. They named the gallery after their son's
dog, Jimmy Lainzberg... an odd name that would eventually become the nation's
most impressive showcase of animation art.

Opening night the gallery was ready with champagne and Burt and Edith dressed up
and ready to greet their guests. That night they realized that Cedar Rapids, Iowa
was not a big arts community at the time. No one came! But they learned a powerful
lesson about their art and their audience. If buyers wouldn't walk in the door, they
would go to the buyers.

Gallery Lainzberg was on the move! The staff originally offered the art through a
series of traveling shows at shopping malls in Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois. Again
the Rudmans learned and grew from their experiences. They discovered that mall
shows were not a good venue because it was so difficult to keep track of the art in
the crowded shopping centers. A few cels were stolen and damaged, so a new plan
was devised.

For the next 8 years their sales staff offered animation cels at college exhibitions in
conjunction with animation lectures from coast to coast. Wanda Lunn, (co-owner of
First Animation Art) was hired by Edith Rudman in August of 1981.Wanda Lunn
was one of those hired to arrange these shows. Her techniques and enthusiasm
boosted sales and refined the shows to their most successful form.

Original Production cels were matted and arranged in folders for college sales from
coast to coast. Original cels from Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Flescher Studios and
Disney were among the first groups offered. Production cels from Disney cost as
little as $85.00 from films such as "Robin Hood", "The Aristocats" and "Bed Knobs
and Broomsticks." Signed hand painted cels from Chuck Jones classic films, "A
Cricket in Times Square", "The White Seal", "Rikki Tikki Tavi" and "Mowgli's
Brothers" started at $95.00 for superb images.

Their national college sales also fostered an interest in the cult classic films of Sally
Cruikshank, "Heavy Metal," Ralph Bakshi's "Lord of the Rings", "Coonskin",
"American Pop" and such television shows as "Planet of the Apes."

Adults visiting the college shows expressed an interest in classic Disney films and
older animation art. Edith began her life long search for classic cels and pre
production art for serious collectors.

After a visit to Friz Freleng and Los Angeles in 1977, Gallery Lainzberg began
offering original art from the DePatie Freleng archive including the "Pink Panther,"
"The Ant and the Aardvark," Jabber Jaws and Hoot Kloot.

As their college shows created demand, Gallery Lainzberg published its first catalog
in black and white in 1977. Featured on the cover was the Chuck Jones cat from "A
Cricket In Times Square." The catalog was a huge hit and the animation art catalog
was born!

Collectors clamored for these unique paintings. The Rudmans discovered that the
studios had routinely thrown away artwork through the years and that there were no
cels from such classic films as Chuck Jones' "What's Opera, Doc?", "The Rabbit Of
Seville" and many other Warner Brothers favorites. Edith approached Chuck Jones
in 1980 with the idea of recreating some of his most famous characters and films in
hand painted art.... and the first Warner Brothers Limited Edition cels were created.

Edith had a close working relationship with the major studios and was especially
fond of Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones and the staff at Linda Jones Enterprises.

By 1980 only the Circle Gallery chain was the offering animation art in addition to
Gallery Lainzberg. Their animation offerings were limited to Disney Limited Edition
cels and later the Warner Brother art of Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng.

Gallery Lainzberg published its first color catalog in the fall 1981 showcasing Disney
and Warner Brothers Loony Tunes art for the first time. Again, the Rudmans learned
that their catalog was only the tip of the iceberg for collector's appetites. When
Wanda Lunn returned from her traveling shows in the spring of 1982, she began
compiling wish lists for her collectors. Now the hunt was on and the legacy of
personal searching was born.

Gallery Lainzberg's personal search service outgrew the college sales and the
Rudmans again refined their business by focusing on catalog sales and telephone
contacts with collectors. Their last traveling shows were in the fall of 1983.

Over the next several years the Gallery Lainzberg catalog grew in size and
complexity. Burt Rudman photographed all the art and wrote all the text for these
catalogs. His photography experience and fine writing made these catalogs exciting
and anxiously awaited by animation enthusiasts.

In the fall of 1985, Gallery Lainzberg expanded in space and employees when it
moved to the second floor suite in the Guaranty Bank Building. It would be the
home of the gallery for the next 15 years.

John Cairns was hired in November of 1985 as the first phone sales representative
and was mentored by Wanda Lunn. He enthusiastically jumped into the world of
animation art and within a few years became the gallery's top sales associate.

1985 through 1990 saw an explosion in sales and catalogs. Gallery Lainzberg
expanded their scope of animation art being offered. New art added in these years
included art by, Walter Lantz , Myron Waldman, Don Bluth, Jay Ward, Disney
Television Productions and more.

Notable employees included the sales representatives, Wanda Lunn, John Cairns,
Arlene Shea, Shawn Reese, Janet Melody, Marsha Hinrichs, and Charisse Mason
during these dynamic years.

The support staff included Ninette Farrier, Linda Thompson, Peg Wacha, Judy
Fitzpatrick, Jo Ann Collins, Nancy Jones, Charlotte Whalen and many more.

In 1989 alone, Gallery Lainzberg was featured in 11 national publications, including
Forbes, USA Today, and the Washington Post. In March of 1990, Edith and Burt
Rudman joined Friz Freleng, Steve Schneider, and other animation luminaries in
Kansas City to mark the opening of the Warner Brothers Animation Art Exhibit at
the Kansas City Art Museum.

After 15 years of innovation and growth, the Rudmans sold Gallery Lainzberg in the
fall of 1990. Their vision and hard work made animation art the popular art form
that is still is today. Their sucess with Gallery Lainzberg was instrumental in the
creation of many imitator animation galleries, but they were the original and the best.
They retired to Florida in 1991.

End of Chapter One.

II. The "Out of Towners"
(under construction)

The partnership of Ron and Linda Rich and Kathy and Larry Speh 1990
Bugs On Broadway. Traveling Show Problems 1991
The creation of the Peanuts Art Program 1992
The departure of the Spehs 1993

Ron Rich's sole management - Change in philosophy 1993 -1998
The Fern Gully Nightmare - 1992
The Ariana Richards Fiasco - 1993
Lost in the Dark - The non animation art of Gallery Lainzberg
The Unauthorized Peanuts art published by RRI and Gallery Lainzberg
The law suits of Gallery Lainzberg 1990 -1997
The departure of the experienced sales staff 1995-1996
The partnership with Harold Becker 1993 - 1998

The departure of Ron Rich 1998
The collapse of Gallery Lainzberg 1998-2002

MGM editions 1991
Disney TV cels Pooh 1991
Peanuts Melendez LTD 1994
Fern Gully 1992
Jerry Garcia
Ariana Richards
James Theodore
Ron Lee Sculptures 1992
Michael Sporn - Jazz time, The Dancing Frog, The Nightingale, The Red Shoes,
The Little Match girl, The Marzipan Pig.
Bill Plymton - color pencil cels "25 ways to quit smoking" ,"How to kiss",
"Plymptoons."
Nickelodeon 1993 - Ren and Stimpy, Doug, Rug rats
Simpsons 1993
Joanna Priestly - "The Rubber Stamp Film" 1994
The Beatles Yellow Sub 1994
Golden Films - B&B Mermaid
Doonesbury,
Mike Peters - Mother Goose and Grimm