On Saturday March 6, 2021, the original oil painting for Lucas Graciano’s Simian Spirit Guide sold on the MTG Art Market on Facebook for $12,000.
Simian Spirit Guide by Lucas Graciano, oil on Masonite, 14” x 18”
Simian Spirit Guide is a work of oil on Masonite measuring 14 inches by 18 inches, and was commissioned for Time Spiral Remastered. It’s the first new artwork for the card since its original printing, and only the fourth printing overall. The card was recently banned in the Modern format due to its ability to accelerate spells and result in one-sided early game wins.
Time Spiral Remastered underwent several delays over the last year and much of its artwork was actually painted more than 12 months ago; it’s reasonable to believe this card was included with new artwork to refresh its place in the Modern format, but instead it will never see play in those decks. Gone too soon.
The original painting was offered by Heiko Schmidt of Tokyo MTG acting as agent for the artist. Schmidt has worked with Graciano for several years, and usually facilitates the sale of his Magic original paintings.
The opening bid of $8,000 was met immediately upon offer, and within the hour the price had risen to $10,000. Active bidding continued into the wee hours of the following morning, where it reached $11,000 and rested until the final day.
A final $12,000 bid in the closing minutes would win the day, as burgeoning collector known in the comments as “Wk Wk” added another work to his ever growing gallery of original Magic artwork.
There is an associated sketch that was not included with the painting auction. According to the agent, it would be offered to the winner at a set price of $1,500. If they pass, it will be made publicly available via a similar auction on the MTG Art Market. It has not been made public whether or not the auction winner purchased the sketch, but based on their past public collecting history, they usually try to acquire all traditional elements related to the originals they own.