Swann Auction Galleries
104 East 25th Street, New York, New York 10010
212-254-4710
About Auction House
Swann was founded in 1941 as an auction house specializing in Rare and Antiquarian Books and is now the largest specialist auctioneer of Works on Paper in the world. Swann conducts approximately 40 sales a year, with departments devoted to Books, Autographs, Maps & Atlases, Photographs & Photobooks, Prints & Drawings, Vintage Posters, African-American Fine Art and Illustration Art. On March 27, 2017, Swann celebrated 75 years of auctions.Auction Previews & News
137 Results
Auction IndustryAround the Auction World: April 2022
Strong results poured in from around the auction world as the art sector made its comeback this April. Live events like Expo Chicago and the Venice Biennale returned in (almost) full swing. Online infrastructure built during the COVID-19 pandemic remained relevant in an increasingly-connected market. Auction Daily examined some of the top news stories from the past month, plus some views from behind the curtain of the art world. Here are the top headlines from around the auction world this April. Hughie Lee-Smith, Quandary, 1997. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries. Auction Highlights Auction Daily reported on the impressive results of Swann Auction Galleries’ spring African American Art event, which wrapped up on March 31, 2022. The sale cemented the rise of Black American artists in the collecting sphere, with new records set for Hughie Lee-Smith and Ed Clark. An unexpected star of the sale was Alma Thomas’ Untitled (Atmospheric Effects Series) from the early 1970s. It sold for USD 209,000 against a high estimate of $40,000. Thomas’ exuberant paintings also saw strong bidding with Doyle this month. A Washington, D.C. middle school teacher by day, Thomas spent her nights and retirement creating colorful canvases awash in natural beauty. Elsewhere, Brunk Auctions produced solid results for work by American Southern artists. Among the top lots was Maud Gatewood’s Second Snow Starting, a quiet meditation on North Carolinian winters. It found a buyer for $30,240 after 13 competitive bids. The event also featured the work of artists such as Lê Phổ, Jean Varda, Lamar Dodd, and June Schwarcz. Other key highlights from around the auction world included Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion’s April 2, 2022 premier Steiff sale. A dark blonde mohair Teddy bear ($22,000) and a fully-joined Golliwog doll ($18,000) were among the surprise top lots. And to close the month, Sotheby’s Hong Kong presented a major Louise Bourgeois Spider, the most expensive modern and contemporary sculpture ever to be offered in Asia. It achieved $16.5 million. Hughie Lee-Smith, Quandary, 1997. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries. What’s Coming Up A masterpiece that disappeared from the public eye for 150 years is expected…
Auction ResultAuction Review: Impressive Firsts at Swann’s Spring 2022 Auction of African American Art
Ten record-smashing works and seven auction debuts highlighted Swann Auction Galleries’ spring African American Art event, conducted on March 31, 2022. The auction realized a total of USD 3.6 million from the 214 lots sold. The event saw an 89% sell-through rate, and 27 lots were unable to find buyers. “The continued success of our African American Art auctions, now in our fifteenth year, proves the breadth of this market. I am especially pleased that we set a new auction record for Hughie Lee-Smith — finally eclipsing our own record with the sale of Slum Song, set in 2007. We also are thrilled to achieve the highest price for a work on paper by Ed Clark,” expressed Nigel Freeman, Director of African American Art at Swann. Hughie Lee-Smtih, Aftermath, c. 1960. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries. The standout artist of the sale was Hughie Lee-Smith, with 11 works featured in the catalog, four of which made it to the top 20 lots realizing the highest price. The record-breaking work, Aftermath, sold for $365,000, setting a high for the artist. It is a significant painting from Lee-Smith’s mid-career years. The painting depicts the artist’s view of urban decay with the background of a crumbling store facade. Three additional Hughie Lee-Smith works sold during the African American Art event. Quandary from 1997 achieved $197,000, while 1982’s Still Life with Nectarines sold for $45,000. Sketch of a Boy, executed in 1937, hammered at $11,875. Ed Clark, Spatial Image III, c. 1982. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries. Ed Clark’s Spatial Image III sold for $341,000, a record for a work on paper by the artist. The painting is an abstraction representing chaos and control created using the dry pigment technique inspired by the Pueblo sand paintings of the American Southwest. Alma Thomas, Untitled (Atmospheric Effects Series), c. 1971. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries. Works from the contemporary section of the African American Art sale showed impressive results, with Michael A. Cummings (Martin Luther King Jr., $47,500) and Freddie Styles (Untitled (Root Series), $42,500) setting new auction records. An untitled work by…
Auction PreviewLetter Containing Earliest Reference to Uncle Sam Comes Up For Bid
“I expect to go to New Haven next week to inspect armes made by Ely Whitney for Unkel Sam 500.” This casual remark by Robert Orr in an 1803 letter to his son is the earliest-known written use of the term “Uncle Sam” to personify the American federal government. Orr was the master armorer at the time and was therefore responsible for armory inspections such as the one in New Haven run by Eli Whitney. Reference to Eli Whitney and his contract with the U.S. Government lend the letter historical significance beyond its simple age. The original copy of this letter is currently up for sale in the Printed & Manuscript Americana event, offered by Swann Auction Galleries. Other items of historical significance in this sale include a photograph album documenting the 1899 Peary Relief Expedition, a letter announcing the cessation of hostilities with Great Britain written by Robert R. Livingston, an early French printing of the Declaration of Independence, and more. Some of the manuscript items in the auction include a first edition of the Noah Webster translation of the Bible, a document used by Senators for the hearing on “Project MKUltra, the CIA’s Program of Research in Behavioral Modification,” and a Treasury report featuring the first formal federal budget (by Alexander Hamilton). View any of these lots and register to bid on Swann Auction Galleries’ website.
Auction PreviewSwann Auction Galleries Presents Work by Harlem Renaissance Artists Norman Lewis, Jacob Lawrence
Artworks by Harlem Renaissance artists Norman Lewis and Jacob Lawrence will be highlighted in the upcoming African American Art auction, presented by Swann Auction Galleries. An important figure of the Harlem Renaissance, Norman Lewis focused his work on the struggles of Black American urban living of the time. He was credited for his part in organizing the Harlem Artists Guild. The goal of the Guild was not only to provide Black American artists with creative opportunities but to support those dealing with societal and political discrimination. Swann Auction Galleries will be presenting a 1948 Norman Lewis oil painting in this event. Untitled (Rhododendrons) is one of Lewis’ early works. It was here when he began experimenting with the Modernist style through abstract painting and a black, gray, and green color scheme. A 1986 Jacob Lawrence screenprint will also appear in the auction. General Toussaint L'Ouverture is signed, dated, titled, and numbered 38/100 in pencil at the lower left corner. It was printed by Lou Stovall, the Workshop, Inc., Washington D.C. View the entire collection and register to bid at Swann Auction Galleries.
Auction IndustryAround the Auction World: February 2022
Images from around the auction world this February. Image credit from left to right: Sotheby’s, Stair, and Christie’s. Collage by Heemin Moon (Auction Daily). February is the month of love and, for those in the Northern Hemisphere, the last official month of winter. The auction world responded appropriately. Notable sales this month ranged from mysterious black diamonds to fine photography to Gucci shoes fit for a Valentine. Auction Daily also peeked ahead to see what’s coming up this spring. Here are the top headlines from around the auction world this February. Industry Trends This month, we covered several emerging and continued trends in the auction industry. This includes the expanding influence of international auction houses in Hong Kong. Phillips announced plans to open its new Hong Kong headquarters in the bustling West Kowloon Cultural District after netting a record USD 1.2 billion in sales last year. Auction houses large and small also readied themselves for the spring sale season. Christie’s announced its plans in a flurry of press releases and featured lots. Its signature 20th/21st Century Art series in London will now include a stop in Shanghai in a relay-style string of sales. “Providing innovative ways of connecting our clients to the finest examples of art that span the dynamic art movements and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries is what has come to define Christie’s global auction programme,” said Giovanna Bertazzoni, Christie’s Vice Chairman of the 20th/21st Century Art department, about the lineup. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s annotated copy of the 1957-58 Harvard Law Review. Image courtesy of Bonhams. Auction Highlights We saw strong results from around the auction world this February. Sotheby’s offered “The Enigma” in a single lot auction. This 555.55-carat fancy black diamond may be from outer space. It came to auction without a public presale estimate but sold for a notable GBP 3.16 million (USD 4.24 million). At Swann Auction Galleries, a major fine photography auction marked the 70th anniversary of the first dedicated photography sale in the United States. Among the top lots in the most recent event was a portfolio by Lisette…
Auction IndustrySwann Celebrates 70 Years of Fine Photography Auctions
Swann Auction Galleries held its first fine photography auction, titled The Marshall Sale, in the United States in 1952. Swann now marks 70 years of events supporting photography as an artistic medium. The house will present a total of 251 lots in an upcoming sale to commemorate this anniversary. Swann’s current fine photography auction will start on February 10th, 2022 at 12:00 PM EST. Helen Levitt, New York (Foreign Legion), 1940. Image courtesy of Swann. Swann's upcoming auction will feature Helen Levitt's New York (Foreign Legion), offered with an estimate of USD 25,000 to $35,000. The piece is a silver print with Levitt's signature. It is a vintage photograph of four boys posing in the streets of New York. The photograph especially shows the innocence of the young boys. Helen Levitt was born on August 31, 1913 in Brooklyn, New York. Particularly noted for her street photography, she is regarded as one of the most influential photographers and cinematographers in history. Her works centered the local communities of New York, and she spent many years capturing and documenting everyday life. Levitt’s renowned images depict subway passengers and the neighborhoods of New York through documentaries, photographs, and various other art mediums. American poet and critic David Levi Strauss described Levitt as “maybe the most celebrated and least known photographer of her time.” Robert Frank, Los Angeles, 1956. Image courtesy of Swann. Also available in Swann’s fine photography event is a Robert Frank photograph titled Los Angeles. The estimate for this lot ranges between $25,000 and $35,000. This piece shows a silver print and has Frank's signature in ink. Frank and his wife donated this particular print in the first fundraising auction of Saint Ann School. Robert Frank was born in a Jewish family to Rosa and Hermann Frank. Best known as a mid-20th century photographer and filmmaker, Frank mostly depicted American life in his works. Frank also worked as a fashion photographer for Harper's Magazine at the age of 22 and went on to publish a book in his later life. Robert Frank, Café, Beaufort, South Carolina, 1955. Image courtesy of…
Auction PreviewThe Best of Vintage Illustration Art at Swann, Including Pieces by Edmund Dulac, George Hinke, and Maurice Sendak
Leading Swann Auction Galleries’ upcoming Illustration Art sale is a snowy scene from the pen of famed fantasy illustrator Edmund Dulac. The artist specialized in children’s fairy tales, particularly those by Hans Christian Andersen. Dulac worked at the technological dawn of mass-produced color illustration in books. Available in this auction is an illustration by Dulac for Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” story. In this piece, a flurry of snow covers softly-lit buildings at night. A church spire towers above the rooftops as the ethereal Snow Queen glides through the scene. This illustration art auction includes several other key works, including an Art Nouveau mixed media image by Georges de Feure and a Santa Claus illustration created by George Hinke for The Coca-Cola Company. Comic strip collectors will find a wide selection in the catalog. A 1934 Krazy Kat strip by George Herriman is particularly notable. The gullible main character places himself on a warm brick to await the arrival of Ignatz. Before the mischievous mouse can cause trouble, Ignatz receives a whack from the stealthy Officer Pupp. An original Peanuts comic strip, a sketch by Where the Wild Things Are creator Maurice Sendak, and various grayscale comics for The New Yorker are also on offer. Find the full listings and register to bid online by visiting Swann Auction Galleries.
Auction IndustryArtcurial Celebrates Historic and Contemporary African Art in November Sale
An upcoming Artcurial auction celebrates exemplary works from contemporary African artists such as Leonce Raphael Agbodjélou (b. 1965). Agbodjélou emerged as a leading photographer of the Republic of Benin in the late 20th century. Born to Joseph Agbodjélou, a renowned photographer, the younger artist learned from his father. Agbodjélou portrays the experiences of a modern generation stuck between tradition and progress. He often uses a medium format film and a daylight studio to develop his work. Leonce Raphael Agbodjélou, Triptyque, Sans titre, (Série Demoiselles de Porto-Novo), 2012. Image from Artcurial. One of Agbodjélou’s recent projects, titled Série Demoiselles de Porto-Novo, highlights the everyday life of young women residing in Benin. While some of his photographs show people wearing traditional Yoruba robes, others depict a sense of modernity with the subjects wearing sunglasses. Artcurial will present an untitled triptych from this series. It carries a presale estimate of USD 9,248 to $13,872. In this split image, viewers can see a semi-nude woman wearing a traditional skirt and mask to represent the past and present of the Porto-Novo community. She stands in a dark room with blue walls and a tiled floor. Samuel Fosso, Fosso Fashion, 1999 - 2000. Image from Artcurial. Cameroonian-born Nigerian artist Samuel Fosso started his art career at an early age. In 1972, the Nigerian Civil War forced Fosso to leave his home for Bangui in the Central African Republic. At the age of 13, he began taking self-portraits. Fosso sent them to his mother, informing her of his well-being. This forged his path as an artist. Today, Samuel Fosso is among Central Africa’s leading contemporary photographers. His self-portraiture style explores African culture through different disguises and personas. With his portraits, Fosso also challenges and celebrates the Pan-African identity. Among the highlights of Artcurial’s contemporary African art auction is a self-portrait from Fosso, titled Fosso Fashion (estimate: $1,387 - $1,734). The inkjet print on matte paper shows Fosso wearing a suit and an overcoat. The auction also includes several other black-and-white photos from Fosso’s Fashion series. Samson Bakare, Everything blue and beautiful, 2021. Image from Artcurial Speaking about…
Auction ResultAround the Auction World: October 2021
Images from around the auction world in October of 2021. Image credit from left to right: Milestone Auctions, Sotheby’s, and Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH. Collage by Heemin Moon (Auction Daily). The fall auction season started to heat up this October. Several consignments drew headlines as auction houses lined up rare works by Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Collectors also showed support for Black American artists at Swann Auction Galleries and a diverse group of modern photographers at Phillips. And as Banksy’s infamous Love is in the Bin returned to Sotheby’s auction block, the art world remembered the artist’s unprecedented shredding stunt from 2018. From new NFTs to old Hebrew prayer books, Auction Daily surveys highlights from around the auction world in October of 2021. Dmitri Cherniak, Self Portrait #1, 2020. Image from Sotheby’s. Industry Trends Around the auction world this month, industry leaders offered dedicated series of Asian and Middle Eastern artwork and collectibles. Events during this year’s Fall Asia Week in late September and early October saw strong bidding and numerous new artist records. Later, Sotheby’s presented several events for its autumn Islamic, South Asian & Middle Eastern Week. The available works crossed national borders and historical eras. Key offerings included a selection of Company School paintings made by Indian painters for the British East India Company, as well as pairs of gemstone-studded spectacles. The industry continued its embrace of digital art and NFTs in October. Most recently, Sotheby’s Metaverse became the first NFT platform backed by a traditional auction house. Sotheby’s offered the second edition of its Natively Digital series on the new platform after partnering with well-known digital art collectors and mainstream names such as Paris Hilton. The dedicated NFT sale brought in approximately USD 18.7 million. Hale Woodruff, Carnival, c. 1958. Image from Swann Auction Galleries. Auction Highlights Swann Auction Galleries offered another sale of Black American art in early October. The auction brought in a historic $5 million and 11 new artist auction records. Hale Woodruff’s Carnival, which sold for $665,000, was the top lot. Swann established additional records for Elizabeth Catlett, Belkis Ayón,…
Auction IndustryBlack Art Matters: Swann Auction Galleries Continues to Shed Light on Celebrated Black American Artists
Elizabeth Catlett with a framed print of her own artwork. Image courtesy of the artist/ Fern Logan. Early in her career, Elizabeth Catlett was advised to “take as her subject what she knew best.” Most of her iconic sculptures after that featured Black American women and those from oppressed communities. Catlett’s awareness of the exploitation of Black women resulted from the many stories her mother told to her. These stories mainly were narrations of the realities of life in the slums and hardships faced by women in her family. Catlett herself was rejected from Carnegie Mellon University because of her skin color. She graduated instead from Dunbar High School in Washington and continued her studies at the University of Iowa. Unlike most artists who shifted to abstract art after World War II, Elizabeth Catlett moved to Mexico in pursuit of meaningful social art. Her career flourished further when she started featuring political and human rights issues in her works. The American government restricted her ability to move to the United States because of her bold artwork and communist affiliations. Catlett became a Mexican citizen in 1962. Mother and Child, a terracotta sculpture by Elizabeth Catlett. Image courtesy of the Friends of Education of The Museum of Modern Art, The Modern Women's Fund, and Dr. Alfred Gold (by exchange). Only a handful of important stone sculptures by Catlett from the 1940s circulate in the auction market today. Head and Mother and Child are two of them. She created the Mother and Child sculpture during her final year at the University of Iowa. Catlett described her belief in her subjects: “Because I am a woman and know how a woman feels in body and mind, I sculpt, draw, and print women, generally black women.” Elizabeth Catlett, Head, 1943. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries. The upcoming African American Art auction, presented by Swann Auction Galleries, highlights a sculpture by Elizabeth Catlett (estimate: USD 150,000 - $250,000). It is a 35-inch carving of a young man’s head from the artist’s seminal 1940s period. Swann Auction Galleries, a pioneer in bringing Black American art…
Auction ResultAround the Auction World: August 2021
Photos from around the auction world in August 2021. Image credit from left to right: Saffronart, Bonhams, and Morton Subastas. Collage by Heemin Moon (Auction Daily). The summer auction season drew to a gentle close in August 2021. The month offered many opportunities to encounter contemporary art and 20th-century collectibles, as well as dedicated sales of Outsider Art, LGBTQ+ art, and celebrity memorabilia. The art world also showed signs of recovery after more than a year of pandemic-related losses. California’s Monterey Car Week returned in full force after an extended break, and Christie’s announced ambitious plans to expand its presence in Hong Kong. From American pewter to beluga whales, here are the top headlines from around the auction world in August 2021. 1970 Porsche 917K. Image from RM Sotheby’s. Industry Trends August opened with the long-awaited 2021 edition of Monterey Car Week in California. The event signaled the health of the car collecting market with enthusiastic buying across all ten days. RM Sotheby’s alone brought in USD 148.5 million. The other participating auction houses, including Bonhams and Mecum Auctions, saw strong results as well. Celebrity collectibles dominated headlines this month. Heritage Auctions offered the game-worn baseball jersey associated with Hank Aaron’s 3,000th hit in mid-August. It sold for $540,000, well above its starting estimate of $200,000. Julien’s Auctions featured a selection of Lucille Ball memorabilia in its summer Hollywood sale, held at the end of the month. Auction houses continued to embrace NFTs this August. Christie’s Hong Kong announced plans for a dedicated NFT auction in Asia this September. The company will become the first international auction house to formally enter the region’s digital art market. It particularly hopes to attract millennial collectors in Hong Kong, many of whom helped sustain revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the Mystic Aquarium’s beluga whales. Image courtesy of the Mystic Aquarium. Auction Highlights Guernsey’s brought an unprecedented opportunity to the auction block this August. Bidders competed to win the naming rights for three beluga whales that were recently transferred to Connecticut’s Mystic Aquarium. The sale of two names yielded $1.5 million for…
Auction Result, Press ReleaseLGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Auction Bests Itself for the Third Year in a Row
Auction Brings $1.3M and Records Abound New Record for Tom of Finland, Shattering Top Price Set by House Last Year Tom of Finland, Home – Secured, colored pencil on paper, 1982. Sold for $87,500, a record for the artist. LGBTQ+ ART, MATERIAL CULTURE & HISTORY Sale 2578; August 19, 2021 Sale total: $1,380,848 Hammer price: $1,103,200 Estimates for sale as a whole: $570,700–$860,000 We offered 268 lots; 253 sold (94% sell-through rate by lot) All prices include Buyer’s Premium. New York—"Swann's third annual auction of LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History was an unmitigated success. From the limited exhibition, which had the highest attendance of any of the house’s exhibitions in 18 months, to the truly spirited and competitive bidding institutions and avid collectors all participated at what could at times be referred to as a fever pitch. Records were set in many different categories: art, photography, posters and ephemera. Perhaps most heartening were the outstanding results achieved for artists whose work had not previously or only infrequently appeared at auction,” Swann Galleries President, Nicholas D. Lowry reflected on the Thursday, August 19 sale. The sale earned $1.1 million hammer ($1.3 million with BP), nearly 30% over the high estimate with 94% of the 268 lots on offer finding buyers. Diane Arbus, Two Men Dancing at the Drag Ball, NYC, silver print, 1970, printed 1972. Sold for $50,000, a record for the print. Tom of Finland’s popular S&M illustrations led the auction, with the complete run of eight works on offer finding buyers, and recording a record-breaking price for the artist, proving that Swann has become the go-to house for the artist. Establishing a new auction record for the artist was Home – Secured, an exceptional 1982 colored-pencil work that pays clever homage to Canada with the breeches and boots of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The drawing earned $87,500, besting the previous record set by the house ($55,000 in 2020). Also of note was a 1965 pencil-on-paper work of Finland’s signature biker men ($35,000), and two preparatory sketches from 1982 ($18,750) and 1985 ($10,625). Additional fine art offerings included…
Artists, Auction IndustryArtist to Know: Laura Aguilar
Swann Presents Rare Self-Portrait by Pioneering Chicana Photographer Though many trailblazing artists are described as “ahead of their time,” few were more so than Laura Aguilar. The Los Angeles photographer worked in the 1980s and 90s to capture portraits of working-class, Chicanx, queer, and large-bodied people who society pushed aside. The language of identity and inclusion did not catch up to her work for another several years. Aguilar sought to expand the unfolding gay liberation narrative beyond what was palatable to the mainstream. In capturing portraits of others, Aguilar also created a space for her own multifaceted self. Swann Auction Galleries will feature one of Laura Aguilar’s signature self-portraits in its upcoming LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History auction on August 19th, 2021. The sale starts at 12:00 PM EDT. Before placing a bid, learn more about Laura Aguilar’s life and legacy. Laura Aguilar, Self-Portrait, 1983. Image from the Laura Aguilar Trust. Laura Aguilar was a fifth-generation resident of Los Angeles and the daughter of a welder and a housekeeper. She had a difficult childhood. Some of her challenges arose from undiagnosed depression and auditory dyslexia, which made verbal and written communication a daily struggle. Aguilar turned to photography as an escape while in middle school. She soon discovered a love of visual art. Aguilar eventually attended community college and encountered the thriving local Chicanx community. She quickly abandoned her architecture and still life shots in favor of portraiture. Themes of self-identity also started to emerge in her work around this time. Aguilar felt the tension of existing as a Chicana lesbian in the 1980s. The artist processed this tension through various self-portraits held in dialogue with her body and political symbols. She also spoke openly about her mental health in her art and interviews. Understanding the body is a key theme in Aguilar’s work. She faced shame and prejudice from others throughout her life, some of which she internalized. “Her work is personal, political, celebratory, and difficult, all at the same time,” Vincent Price Art Museum director Pilar Tompkins Rivas told ARTnews in 2018. “She speaks about a journey…
Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQueer Art, Ephemera & Historical Material at Swann Galleries August 19
Featuring Tom of Finland, Gerda Wegener, JEB, Lesbian pulp fiction and more Tom of Finland, Home – Secured, colored pencil on paper, 1982. Estimate $60,000 to $90,000 New York— Swann Galleries’s third annual auction dedicated to the art, material culture, and history of the LGBTQ+ community will be held on Thursday, August 19, bringing to market both familiar artists as well as fresh, unusual and infrequently seen material. Among the art highlights are several original works by Tom of Finland, including two preparatory drawings and a completed color pencil work, Home—Secured, 1982 ($60,000-90,000); four oil paintings by Hugh Steers are led by Gold Fringe, 1993 ($30,000-50,000); a run of works by Paul Cadmus including a Prisma-color crayon drawing, Male Nude (MN155), 1979 ($20,000-30,000); three drawings by Gerda Wegener, as well as material by Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and David Wojnarowicz. A significant section of important fine photographs will feature works by the medium’s most significant practitioners. Diane Arbus is on offer with Girl in Her Circus Costume, MD, silver print, 1970, printed 1972 ($8,000-12,000) and Two Men Dancing at a Drag Ball, NYC, silver print, 1970, printed 1972 ($5,000-7,500); Peter Hujar features with Man on Chair (Richard Weinroth), silver print, 1979 ($12,000-18,000); and JEB (Joan E. Biren) is present with a selection of joyful images including Gloria and Charmaine, silver print, 1979 ($1,000-1,500) and Darquita and Daughter, silver print, 1979 ($1,000-1,500). Also crossing the block is Robert Mapplethorpe, George Platt Lynes, as well as several studies of the male physique by Bruce of LA, and a pair of portraits of the iconic figure Fançois “Féral” Benga who served as a muse for artists during the Harlem Renaissance, including Richmond Barthé whose bronze statue of Benga set a record for Barthé in our June 2020 sale of African American Art. Early material features a very unusual group of historical Oscar Wilde advertising cards dating to his first tour around America in 1882 ($1,000-1,500). Twentieth-century material sees a group of 13 gay rights fliers issued in the weeks after Stonewall in 1969 by the Mattachine Society and others ($1,500-2,500), two greeting cards…
Auction IndustryPsychedelic Posters: When Art Nouveau Meets Counterculture
Amid the turbulence of the 1960s, a group of San Francisco designers found inspiration in decades-old Art Nouveau prints. Their creations joined turn-of-the-century aesthetics with the intensity of counterculture. This August, Swann Auction Galleries and Turner Auctions + Appraisals will present sales of both Art Nouveau and psychedelic posters. Auction Daily investigates the unlikely links between these styles before the auctions begin. Left: Alphonse Mucha, Au Quartier Latin magazine cover, 1898. Right: poster from various artists with Artists Rights Today, 1986-1987. Images from Swann Auction Galleries. Aesthetics of Art Nouveau It was the end of the 19th century, and according to the artists, cities were ugly. Rapid industrialization and the spread of new technology shifted interior design and architecture away from beauty. Designers in the late 1800s pushed back against this trend. In a movement now known by its French name, ‘Art Nouveau,’ these artists aimed to prove that functionality did not require the sacrifice of beauty. Art Nouveau design relied upon soft colors, swirling lines, flower motifs, and the objectification of women’s bodies. Curvilinear forms and escapist imagery often appeared in Art Nouveau designs. Alphonse Mucha was the movement’s icon. The flowing fabrics, fluttering hair, and natural elements of Mucha’s posters had an enduring influence even after the artist abandoned the style. Swann Auction Galleries will present several Mucha posters in its upcoming sale, as well as works from other Art Nouveau designers. An advertisement for American Crescent Cycles, designed by Frederick Winthrop Ramsdell, is notable (lot #193; estimate: USD 3,000 - $4,000). Frederick Winthrop Ramsdell poster for American Crescent Cycles, 1899. Image from Swann Auction Galleries. Development of Poster Design in the 20th Century Art Nouveau fell as quickly as it rose. Artists tired of its repetitive imagery and stagnant color palette. With Mucha’s departure for political painting, the style fizzled out of popularity. Early Modernism rushed into the void Art Nouveau left behind, only to be replaced by propaganda posters during World War I. Art Deco and consumer-based Modernism followed. The turbulent 1960s marked a change. The tide of public opinion turned against the Vietnam War and…
