Original Signed James Jebavy Advertisement For 1984 New Orleans World Expo

Description

Original Signed James Jebavy Advertisement For 1984 New Orleans World Expo. Condition is "Used". Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.
For those who collect vintage travel posters, the name James Jebavy is likely a familiar one.  Even those unfamiliar with the name might recognize one or many of his iconic pieces that were done as part of a series of travel posters for United Airlines in the late 1960s.
Destinations included San Francisco, Los angeles, Hawaii and New York to name some.
In the late 1960's one such poster spotlighted New Orleans, Louisiana as a travel destination.
Perhaps it was upon seeing this poster that the New Orleans tourism board/ local government commissioned Jebavy to paint an original advertisement for the 1984 New Orleans World expo/fair.
This piece is an original that would have presumably been used to style the expos advertising off of.
It depicts one of the two wild-haired 34-ft tall mermaids that sat on a platform 25 ft in the air creating part of the grand entrance to the 1984 world's Fair (Pic 4).
It was purchased at the estate of family friends of artist James Jebavy along with a few other never before seen works by him.
This 13" x 15" piece is in excellent condition with very minor ink smudges which are highlighted in picture 5 below the artist's signature.
The gold and black frame has some scuffing (Pic 9), but is in otherwise fine condition.
The paper backing has some tears (Pics 10,11,12) but in no way does it compromise the integrity of the piece.
Also visible are two "grease dots" on the bottom corners of the paper backing, seen in picture 10 .  The spots used to hold rubber feet which appear to have degraded over time leaving these two spots.  They are superficial to the paper backing, do not bleed through and are not otherwise visible.
Though immediately recognizable as a Jebavy due to his distinct style, the piece is signed by the artist.
I am unable to find a single match to this piece, but I was informed at the estate sale that a family member had a/had seen a full size poster print of it which leads me to believe that it went into production, or at least a very limited production.  With the '84 World expo being a financial disaster, it's possible that there just wasn't money to run a full production.
That said, this piece is truly a one of a kind.
With a few years until the 40th anniversary of this expo and talk, if not an attempt over the last number of years to rebuild the iconic mermaids that sat at the entryway, I believe a piece like this will only mature in value.  That, coupled with the resurgence of Jebavy works on the market should make this quite an exciting find.
Whether it's James Jebavy works, art related to travel, or just the beautifully unique, this piece is sure to please any collector.
I arrived at my pricing by taking into account sold comps as well as the rarity of this particular piece but am pleased to discuss pricing for those with serious offers.
Should you have any questions or wish for me to take more specific pictures, I'm always around to help.
Thanks for taking a look at this fantastically wild picture ✌️