December 16, 2024Swann NewsPhotographs & Photobooks California Modernism: Photography from Group f/64 Read more about California Modernism: Photography from Group f/64 The perpetual sunshine and endless summer enjoyed by California natives has traditionally been linked to the glamor and film industries. But in the 1920s and thirties, a community of artist-photographers known as Group f/64 developed a photographic vocabulary and visual style that might best be described as California Modernism.
Read more about Iconic Cover Artists for The Saturday Evening Post December 6, 2024 Illustration Art Iconic Cover Artists for The Saturday Evening Post They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but magazines are an entirely different story. A magazine cover is a visual embodiment of the publication’s identity. The name,…
Read more about Records & Results: Contemporary Art — November 26, 2024 December 5, 2024 Contemporary Art Records & Results: Contemporary Art — November 26, 2024 The November 26, 2024, Contemporary Art auction served as the first with Nigel Freeman as Swann’s head of fine art. “High prices for excellent examples of Pop art prints by…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Fine Photographs — December 17, 2024 December 3, 2024 Photographs & Photobooks Auction Highlights: Fine Photographs — December 17, 2024 This December we are pleased to offer more than 100 lots from the Collection of Neil Robert Berzak. Rich in 20th-century masters, this collection features both rare and important photographs as well as accessible entry points from new and seasoned collectors.
Read more about Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana — November 21, 2024 November 26, 2024 Printed & Manuscript Americana Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana — November 21, 2024 Swann’s Thursday, November 21 auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana brought $608,036, landing squarely in the pre-sale estimates, with 234 of the 320 lots offered finding buyers. Of the auction,…
Read more about Barkley Hendricks Still Life Paintings November 20, 2024 African American Art Barkley Hendricks Still Life Paintings Swann Galleries is very proud to have been the first auction house to sell the paintings of the great late Barkley Hendricks beginning in 2009. We were also the first…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Illustration Art — December 12, 2024 November 20, 2024 Illustration Art Auction Highlights: Illustration Art — December 12, 2024 The December Illustration Art auction offers an array of iconic works spanning magazine illustrations, book art, animation, and more.
Read more about Swann in Profile: Lisa Crescenzo November 13, 2024 Swann Swann in Profile: Lisa Crescenzo After 10 years with Swann and the reorganization of the house’s fine art offerings, Lisa Crescenzo is now the Managing Director of Fine Art. As she transitions into her new…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books — December 10, 2024 November 13, 2024 Maps & Atlases Auction Highlights: Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books — December 10, 2024 In this December auction we are offering a range of collectible material including regional and decorative world maps spanning 350 years of cartographic printing, beautifully engraved color plates, and more.
Read more about Collecting 101: Estimating a George Washington Autograph for Auction November 8, 2024 Books & Manuscripts Collecting 101: Estimating a George Washington Autograph for Auction A question I am frequently asked by non-collectors or people new to collecting is, “How do you estimate the value of an autograph?” The question is not easy to answer…
Read more about Artist Profile: Roberto Kazuya Sakai November 8, 2024 Modern & Post-War Art Artist Profile: Roberto Kazuya Sakai Picking a favorite work of art in our season’s auction lineup is kind of like picking a favorite puppy in a litter. I love them all in different ways, and…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Contemporary Art — November 26, 2024 October 31, 2024 Contemporary Art Auction Highlights: Contemporary Art — November 26, 2024 The November 26, 2024 auction of Contemporary Art features a wonderfully diverse group – from Pop Art icons to dynamic young artists.
Read more about Auction Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana — November 21, 2024 October 29, 2024 Printed & Manuscript Americana Auction Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana — November 21, 2024 This sale strikes a particularly rich vein of western mining material from Alaska, California, Colorado, and Nevada.
Read more about Auction Highlights: Autographs — November 14, 2024 October 24, 2024 Autographs Auction Highlights: Autographs — November 14, 2024 This November auction will include rare autographs by world leaders, authors, Arthurian legends, and musical figures.
Read more about Photographers Who Captured the Changing Landscape of the American West October 23, 2024 Photographs & Photobooks Photographers Who Captured the Changing Landscape of the American West America was, in some ways, founded on the idea of land. A restless push West, a desire to “discover,” to claim, and to shape, has formed the American identity. Here,…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Modern & Post-War Art — November 12, 2024 October 22, 2024 Modern & Post-War Art Auction Highlights: Modern & Post-War Art — November 12, 2024 This October Modern & Post-War art auction will feature works by Janice Biala, Joe Brainard, William Grosvenor Congdon, Lynne Drexler, Helen Frankenthaler, Karl Knaths, Paul Jenkins, Merton Simpson, and Jane Wilson.
Read more about Specialists in the Field: James Baldwin’s Century October 17, 2024 Books & Manuscripts Specialists in the Field: James Baldwin’s Century Swann autographs specialist Marco Tomaschett visited the Schomburg Center to view their display celebrating James Baldwin’s centenary year. The exhibition is open through next year. Celebrating 100 Years of James…
Read more about Records & Results: African American Art — October 3, 2024 October 8, 2024 African American Art Records & Results: African American Art — October 3, 2024 African American Art Sets Six Artist Records The Thursday, October 3, 2024, sale of African American Art at Swann brought $3M and saw top prices for artists, with six records…
Read more about Sarah McMillan’s Specialist Picks: 5 Lots to Watch in Old Master Through Modern Prints October 8, 2024 Prints & Drawings Sarah McMillan’s Specialist Picks: 5 Lots to Watch in Old Master Through Modern Prints Ahead of her first sale as the lead specialist for Old Master Through Modern Prints, Sarah McMillan shares five works to watch in the October 17 auction. Hendrick Goltzius, Icarus…
Read more about Leslie Ragan Calendars for the New York Central Railway: A Unique Pictorial Record October 7, 2024 Vintage Posters Leslie Ragan Calendars for the New York Central Railway: A Unique Pictorial Record For an artist with such a prominent place in the American pantheon of poster designers, very little biographical information exists about the life of Leslie Ragan. He is best known…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Fine Photographs — October 31, 2024 October 7, 2024 Photographs & Photobooks Auction Highlights: Fine Photographs — October 31, 2024 This October Fine Photographs auction will center photography as it developed and impacted the American West as well as the use of photography in exploration and documentation
Read more about Auction Highlights: Fine Books — October 24, 2024 October 3, 2024 Fine Books & Manuscripts Auction Highlights: Fine Books — October 24, 2024 This fall’s sale promises to tempt with bibliographic rarities from before the invention of movable type through the twentieth century.
Read more about Artist Profile: Nelson Stevens September 30, 2024 African American Art Artist Profile: Nelson Stevens I create from the rhythmic color-rappin’-lifestyle of Black folk. I believe that art can breathe life, and life is what we are about. — Nelson Stevens Early Life Born in…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Old Master Through Modern Prints — October 17, 2024 September 25, 2024 Old Master Through Modern Prints Auction Highlights: Old Master Through Modern Prints — October 17, 2024 Swann continues its tradition of presenting a premiere selection of important prints in our October 17 auction of Old Master through Modern Prints.
Read more about Works from the Estate of Dr. Constance E. Clayton September 23, 2024 African American Art Works from the Estate of Dr. Constance E. Clayton Swann Galleries is honored to be presenting a group of artworks in our October 3 auction from the estate of Dr. Constance E. Clayton (1933-2022). Lots 28-48 includes a group…
Read more about Suzanne Jackson & Bill Russell: There is Something Between Us September 23, 2024 African American Art Suzanne Jackson & Bill Russell: There is Something Between Us Suzanne Jackson’s painting There is Something Between Us brings together two legendary figures from two very different worlds. The arenas of professional sports and contemporary art have little in common…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Rare & Important Travel Posters — October 10, 2024 September 18, 2024 Vintage Posters Auction Highlights: Rare & Important Travel Posters — October 10, 2024 October’s travel poster auction is a journey around the world and a trek through the Who’s Who of famous travel poster designers.
Read more about A Look at Midcentury Modern Vintage Posters Advertising NYC September 17, 2024 Vintage Posters A Look at Midcentury Modern Vintage Posters Advertising NYC In viewing mid-century modern posters depicting New York City, it is a curious surprise to find a direct graphic line drawn between 1947 and 1956, as four of the most…
Read more about Movement on Paper: The Work of Abraham Walkowitz September 12, 2024 American Art Movement on Paper: The Work of Abraham Walkowitz “Isadora was my strongest weakness. She was like music. When she moved, it was like the sound of violins,” said Russian-American painter Abraham Walkowitz of his muse, modern dancer Isadora…
Read more about Auction Highlights: African American Art — October 3, 2024 September 4, 2024 African American Art Auction Highlights: African American Art — October 3, 2024 Our October 3 auction of African American Art features exceptional and innovative post-war painting.
Read more about Auction Highlights: The New York Sale — September 26, 2024 September 3, 2024 American Art Auction Highlights: The New York Sale — September 26, 2024 In honor of the 400th anniversary of the founding of New York City, Swann Galleries is bringing back the New York sale.
Read more about Stompers Gallery & Its Leather Fetish Art Lineage August 14, 2024 LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Stompers Gallery & Its Leather Fetish Art Lineage Stompers, a West Village boot store, was owned by classical composer Louis Weingarden. The store also featured a gallery in the backroom of its retail space at 259 West Fourth…
Read more about Artist Profile: Lili Elbe August 8, 2024 LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Artist Profile: Lili Elbe Lili Elbe was a Danish painter, trans woman, and one of the earliest recipients of gender-affirming surgery in 1930. The child of Ane Marie Thomsen and spice merchant Mogens Wilhelm…
Read more about New York Through Photographs August 8, 2024 Photographs & Photobooks New York Through Photographs New York City, in its state of inevitable change, its restless power, its siren’s call to dreamers and doers, has proven irresistible to the camera’s lens. Photographers have captured the…
Read more about Auction Highlights: American Art — September 19, 2024 August 7, 2024 American Art Auction Highlights: American Art — September 19, 2024 This season-opening American Art auction begins with meditative landscapes from the nineteenth century, and moves to the stormy coasts of New England.
Read more about The Danish Girl and the Erotic Art of Gerda Wegener July 29, 2024 Art Press & Illustrated Books The Danish Girl and the Erotic Art of Gerda Wegener Who was Gerda Wegener? Since its release, David Ebershoff’s debut novel The Danish Girl and its subsequent 2015 film adaptation have reintroduced artist couple Gerda Wegener and Lili Elbe to…
Read more about A Look at Swann Galleries’ Staff Art Show July 24, 2024 Swann A Look at Swann Galleries’ Staff Art Show The Swann Staff Art Show, which was on display from July 11 to 18, featured selected artworks in various media from Swann’s talented staff. Take a look at our show…
Read more about Auction Highlights: LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History — August 22, 2024 July 17, 2024 LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Auction Highlights: LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History — August 22, 2024 Swann Galleries is excited to present the sixth iteration of the LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History. The sale will take place on Thursday, August 22, and will feature an exciting selection of fine art, illustration, photography, manuscripts & archives from the expansive range of the LGBTQ+ community.
Read more about This Season’s Successes: Winter-Spring 2024 Auctions in Review July 15, 2024 19th & 20th Century Literature This Season’s Successes: Winter-Spring 2024 Auctions in Review In the 2024 Winter-Spring season, Swann Galleries continued to provide high-quality auctions of unusual and rare material. Several single-owner collections were featured, including Illustration Art: Featuring Highlights from the Collection…
Read more about Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana — June 2024 July 2, 2024 Printed & Manuscript Americana Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana — June 2024 Swann closed out June 2024 with a standout Printed & Manuscript Americana sale on Thursday, June 27. The auction earned $1 million against a $647,100 to $970,700 pre-sale estimate and…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Vintage Posters — August 8, 2024 June 28, 2024 Vintage Posters Auction Highlights: Vintage Posters — August 8, 2024 Our August Vintage Poster auction encompasses a broad array of genres, spanning the 19th-21st centuries, and from countries around the globe.
Read more about Collecting Aviation History June 18, 2024 Books & Manuscripts Collecting Aviation History As a specialized auction house, Swann has the unique ability to connect collectors with their specific interests. This is especially true for aviation collectors; the auctions from our books and…
Read more about Reintroducing Swann’s Fine Art Department June 12, 2024 Fine Art Reintroducing Swann’s Fine Art Department Swann Galleries announced on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, the reorganization of their fine art offerings under the leadership of Nigel Freeman. This change comes with the news of the retirement…
Read more about Collectors on Collecting: Jules Feiffer on the Artists and Works from His Collection June 11, 2024 Illustration Art Collectors on Collecting: Jules Feiffer on the Artists and Works from His Collection Jules Feiffer’s career spans decades, producing a remarkable range of projects and generating numerous awards and honors. His contributions to the field of comics since his start in the late…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana — June 27, 2024 June 10, 2024 Printed & Manuscript Americana Auction Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana — June 27, 2024 Our June 27 Americana sale stretches across the ages from the 1500s to the 1980s. The age of early exploration is represented by a lovely 1590 De Bry Latin printing…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Autographs — June 25, 2024 June 6, 2024 Autographs Auction Highlights: Autographs — June 25, 2024 Highlights from Swann’s June 25 timed Autographs Sale.
Read more about Caleb Kiffer on a Rare Copy of ‘A Description of Sixteen New Species of North American Birds… Collected in Texas’ June 4, 2024 Maps & Atlases Caleb Kiffer on a Rare Copy of ‘A Description of Sixteen New Species of North American Birds… Collected in Texas’ Featured in the June 13, 2024, auction of Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books is Lot 166: Jacob Post Giraud, Jr. & Nathaniel Currier’s A Description of…
Read more about A Toast to Todd Weyman: Our Congratulations on His Retirement June 4, 2024 Prints & Drawings A Toast to Todd Weyman: Our Congratulations on His Retirement A Note From Swann Galleries President Nicholas D. Lowry May 24, 2024 In an industry not particularly known for big changes, Swann Galleries is about to undergo the kind of…
Read more about Auction Highlights: Illustration Art, Featuring Highlights from the Collection of Jules Feiffer — June 20, 2024 May 28, 2024 Illustration Art Auction Highlights: Illustration Art, Featuring Highlights from the Collection of Jules Feiffer — June 20, 2024 Our Spring 2024 Illustration Art sale will showcase an exceptional selection of original artworks spanning various media, including magazines, books, cartoons, postcards, posters, costume and scenic design, and animation.
Read more about Meagan Gandolfo on Pop Art Printmakers May 22, 2024 Contemporary Art Meagan Gandolfo on Pop Art Printmakers Meagan Gandolfo discusses the emergence of vibrant print studios across the United States, coinciding with the rise of Abstract and Pop art movements, reshaping the landscape of contemporary fine art.