Description:

RUBE GOLDBERG'S BRONZE 'THE FOUR WINDS'
(1883 - 1970) American cartoonist known especially for the cartoon contraptions created by his character Prof. Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts, as well as being the namesake for 'Rube Goldberg' machines - contraptions with a complicated series of steps only to perform simple tasks. A very rare set of four Goldberg-signed bronze busts, 'The Four Winds', showing tyrants Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Fidel Castro and Nikita Khrushchev all in unflattering depictions, blowing 'wind' at their gullible listeners. The bronzes each measure about 11 in. tall and 8 in. wide, the entire assemblage on a formica-covered wood base with a plaque reading 'The Four Winds Rube Goldberg 1964' All are signed in full but for one which is signed with his initials. In fine condition. We have been unable to locate a single other example of this piece. The son of a Jewish immigrant from Germany, Goldberg also was a prolific political cartoonist for several New York papers, his work having a left-leaning tilt. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his cartoon of an oblivious American family relaxing atop a huge atomic bomb teetering on the edge of a cliff. It was these sentiments that undoubtedly were the impetus behind these great sculptures.

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September 10, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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