143/95 Surprise Party at Memory Pond

It took Barks 3 months of concentrated work to finish his painting 143/95 Surprise Party at Memory Pond. The painting is unique for the simple fact that it contains no less than 16 Disney characters (Donald is shown twice!), and it is the only one in which Barks depicted characters from long ago: The early Donald Duck, The Wise Little Hen, Peter Pig, Horace Horsecollar, and Clarabelle Cow. The motif is highly suitable for the event; Donald goes fishing but is 'ambushed' by well-wishers bearing gifts and good wishes.
After the very complicated painting was finished a pooped out Barks said I think this will be my last painting. Luckily for us, that prediction was wrong...

NB.: In case you are wondering why the painting bears the year 1995 it is because the serigraphs were made later. The painting itself was finished just before June 9, 1994.

Before he was even approached by Disney Barks had begun to ponder if he should make a painting with Donald's birthday as the subject. This never before published note shows Barks' very first thoughts on the subject. As you can see it contains elements that were indeed used in the finished product as well as ideas that were discarded.

127/84 A 1934 Belchfire Runabout

137/89 Holiday in Duckburg

140/92 Mardi Gras before the Thaw

In the foregoing years Barks had made a few paintings which in different ways seem to have led up to the birthday painting. Not only did he put in a lot of characters in all of them, but in 127/84 A 1934 Belchfire Runabout he took the unusual step of depicting a number of Disney characters that he rarely, or never, had used before in his stories or his paintings (see more HERE). In 137/89 Holiday in Duckburg it would seem that the characters are in the same park they would visit 5 years later, and in 140/92 Mardi Gras before the Thaw the painting is filled with the same characters seemingly frequenting a similar park.

Sixty Years Quacking - 1994

10/75 Hi, I'm Donald Duck

For Donald's 60th birthday Barks made a figurine titled Sixty Years Quacking. It was made in 100 copies but only 44 were sold (see more HERE). The motif was clearly taken from his 1975-painting titled 10/75 Hi, I'm Donald Duck.

So, how did Barks spend Donald's birthday and where was he at the time? Well, as a matter of fact Barks' movements are very well documented - he was in Denmark!
It was only one of a number of countries he visited in the summer of 1994 on his triumphant European tour (see more HERE). On the day he visited his Danish publisher Egmont, and on Saturday the 11th he visited Tivoli Gardens in central Copenhagen to celebrate Donald's birthday with hundreds of enthusiastic fans. At one of Tivoli's stages Donald and Barks were cheered accompanied by the white and clownish Pierrot, a Comedia dell'Arte figure from the ancient Pantomime Theater also situated in the gardens.