LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History

LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History is a cross-departmental sale offering a curated selection of queer visual culture. Our specialists handle a variety of works including fine art, photographs, literature, autographs, and ephemera related to the LGBTQ+ experience and by members of the community. Led by Nicholas D. Lowry and Corey Serrant, with contributions from across Swann’s specialized departments, the auction takes place annually in August.

Swann held the inaugural Pride sale in June 2019 in conjunction with WorldPride and the events marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. The auction was a landmark event with iconic works, including Peter Hujar’s 1985 portrait of David Wojnarowicz ($106,250); Candy Darling’s diary and personal papers ($19,500); an inscribed first edition of James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, 1956 ($4,250); and posters from various gay rights marches, including popular posters by Su Negrin. Additional highlights from more recent auctions include Keith Haring’s Silence = Death, 1989 ($81,250); and Hugh Steers’s In the Paper, 1989 ($68,750); and Tom of Finland’s Home - Secured, 1982 ($87,500).

Swann has partnered with several LGBTQ+ non-profits, with a portion of the proceeds from each sale going to a different organization each year. These include the Leslie-Lohman Museum in 2019, the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project in 2020, the American LGBTQ Museum in 2021, The Lesbian Herstory Archives in 2022, and The Center in 2023. Auction programming has included seasonal events with organizations, artists, historians and more. Watch our past events here.