September 4, 2020Swann CommunicationsSwann Looking Ahead to Fall 2020 Read more about Looking Ahead to Fall 2020 Since the middle of March it has been hard to look ahead. Outside of the universal mantra of “I can’t wait for everything to return to normal,” far too little thought has been given to what’s next. Now, at the summer’s end, it’s time to take a deep breath, and with guarded optimism dare to look ahead at what lies in store for us this fall. Or whatever season it is.
Read more about Modern & Post-War Art: Consign Now for December 2020 September 2, 2020 Modern & Post-War Art Modern & Post-War Art: Consign Now for December 2020 We’re pleased to be growing our offerings this category, with Harold Porcher leading our new sales of Modern & Post-War Art. Building on our strong history of handling material by diverse modern and post-war artists, now is the time to consign to our debut sale. Consign today for our inaugural December 2020 auction.
Read more about Printed & Manuscript Americana: At Auction September 24, 2020 August 25, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Printed & Manuscript Americana: At Auction September 24, 2020 Covering a period of about five centuries and two continents, our auctions of Printed & Manuscript Americana are exceptionally varied in content and subjects covered, from colonialism and the Westward expansion of the United States, to Presidential material and first-hand accounts by ordinary persons of important historical moments.
Read more about American Art: At Auction September 17, 2020 August 17, 2020 American Art American Art: At Auction September 17, 2020 This annual American Art auction includes paintings by American artists Grandma Moses, Childe Hassam, Charles Burchfield, and more.
Read more about Vintage Posters: At Auction August 27, 2020 August 4, 2020 Vintage Posters Vintage Posters: At Auction August 27, 2020 During a summer of containment and people staying close to their personal bubbles, this auction’s assortment of beach and summer resort posters (see below) seems especially poignant, as for many…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History July 22, 2020 LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Upcoming Highlights: LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Our second annual auction dedicated to the art, material culture, and history of the LGBTQ+ community features items by and from major figures and trailblazers; Richmond Barthé, JEB, Paul Cadmus, Antonio Lopez, Harvey Milk, Freddie Styles, Toyen, Oscar Wilde, Walt Whitman, David Wojnarowicz and more.
Read more about Fine Books & Manuscripts: Auction Highlights for July 30, 2020 July 9, 2020 Books & Manuscripts Fine Books & Manuscripts: Auction Highlights for July 30, 2020 Find here a plethora of autographs, fine art books, modern first editions, incunabula, manuscripts and more, at auction July 30, 2020.
Read more about Pen, Pencil & a Bottle of Ink: Al Hirschfeld Seen Through Six Drawings July 6, 2020 Illustration Art Pen, Pencil & a Bottle of Ink: Al Hirschfeld Seen Through Six Drawings Swann Director of Illustration Art, Christine von der Linn, joined special guest David Leopold, author of the best-selling The Hirschfeld Century and the Creative Director of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation,…
Read more about A Toast to Daile Kaplan, Swann’s Doyenne Emerita June 26, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks A Toast to Daile Kaplan, Swann’s Doyenne Emerita At the end of this month Daile will be stepping away from her role as Vice President and head of Swann’s Photographs & Photobooks Department.
Read more about Illustration Art: Upcoming Highlights At Auction July 16, 2020 June 23, 2020 Illustration Art Illustration Art: Upcoming Highlights At Auction July 16, 2020 This wide-ranging sale is led by an iconic work by N.C. Wyeth, and followed by illustrations by Hilary Knight, Leslie Ragan, Howard Pyle, Edward Gorey, Erté, and others.
Read more about Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books: At Auction July 9, 2020 June 11, 2020 Maps & Atlases Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books: At Auction July 9, 2020 An exquisite selection of antiquarian maps and atlases, globes, color plate books, works by John James Audubon, Currier & Ives, and more.
Read more about Contemporary Art: At Auction June 25, 2020 June 2, 2020 Contemporary Art Contemporary Art: At Auction June 25, 2020 This Contemporary Art auction on June 25, 2020 includes works for sale by Jackson Pollock, Louise Nevelson, Helen Frankenthaler, Andy Warhol, and Edward Ruscha.
Read more about Graphic Design: Featuring Modernist Posters from the Vienna Secession to 1990s Political Images May 25, 2020 Vintage Posters Graphic Design: Featuring Modernist Posters from the Vienna Secession to 1990s Political Images This year’s Graphic Design auction presents exciting posters and materials ranging from the Vienna Secession to political posters of the 1990s. At the heart of the auction are posters from two exceptional private estates: stunning European Avant-garde design from the estate of Alexander Kaplen, and unparalleled Art Deco works from the estate of Jeffrey Aminoff and Kathleen Faccini, a collection that was assembled in the 1980s and 90s.
Read more about LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History May 15, 2020 LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History At Auction August 13, 2020 A Portion of Proceeds to Benefit NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project 19th & 20th Century Trailblazers Our second annual auction dedicated to the art, material…
Read more about Fine Photographs: Highlights by Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe & Michael Halsband April 29, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Fine Photographs: Highlights by Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe & Michael Halsband At Auction June 11, 2020 Masterworks of 20th-Century Photography Michael Halsband’s iconic 1985 silver print, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, presents the two painters in boxing attire. Robert Mapplethorpe’s oversize…
Read more about Old Master Through Modern Prints April 23, 2020 Prints & Drawings Old Master Through Modern Prints With the largest selection of old master prints to be found at auction stateside, this sale offers an array of fine works, notably special section dedicated to fine old master prints and drawings from the Collection of Matthew Rutenberg. Nineteenth-century works include Mary Cassatt and James Whistler, and Modernists are represented by Erich Heckel, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Jacques Villon.
Read more about Printed & Manuscript African Americana: Rescheduled for May 2020 April 16, 2020 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Printed & Manuscript African Americana: Rescheduled for May 2020 Among the highlights will be an 1836 autograph book with inscriptions by noted early African-American orators Moses Roper and Peter Williams. The large section on slavery and abolition will include several runaway broadsides and a miniature printing of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (the only one produced in pamphlet form) intended for soldiers to distribute among the freedmen in the south. Military papers include material written by African-American soldiers, including a Civil War letter and a Spanish-American War diary.
Read more about Meisterstiche: Albrecht Dürer’s Master Engravings April 14, 2020 Old Master Through Modern Prints Meisterstiche: Albrecht Dürer’s Master Engravings Albrecht Dürer’s Melencolia I, St. Jerome in His Study and Knight, Death and the Devil, all from 1513-14 and related in size, style and technical complexity, have been considered his master engravings (or Meisterstiche) since their…
Read more about Fine Photographs: Highlights by Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe & Michael Halsband March 22, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Fine Photographs: Highlights by Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe & Michael Halsband At Auction June 11, 2020 Masterworks of 20th-Century Photography Michael Halsband’s iconic 1985 silver print, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, presents the two painters in boxing attire. Robert Mapplethorpe’s oversize…
Read more about Actions We’re Taking Regarding COVID-19 March 13, 2020 Swann Actions We’re Taking Regarding COVID-19 Check this page for the most current updates. What to Know on Auction Day Last Update: March 8, 2022 These auctions will be held live and conducted remotely by Swann…
Read more about African-American Fine Art: June 2020 Highlights March 6, 2020 African American Art African-American Fine Art: June 2020 Highlights At Auction June 4, 2020* *This auction has been rescheduled from its original date, and will now be held on Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 1:00 PM ET, previewing online…
Read more about Announcing the Modern & Post-War Art Department At Swann March 5, 2020 Modern & Post-War Art Announcing the Modern & Post-War Art Department At Swann Now Accepting Consignments of Modern & Post-War Art Join us in welcoming Harold Porcher as our Director of Modern & Post-War Art. Building on our growing portfolio of fine art…
Read more about The Rise of Illustration Art in the Public Eye February 21, 2020 Illustration Art The Rise of Illustration Art in the Public Eye Swann Galleries’ Illustration Art Director Christine von der Linn weighs in on the burgeoning category: Illustration art has the ability to reach people in a way that many genres do…
Read more about Printed & Manuscript Americana: Winter-Spring 2020 Highlights February 12, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Printed & Manuscript Americana: Winter-Spring 2020 Highlights This sale covers American history from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries, with a diploma from the Princeton Class of 1783, whose commencement was attended by Washington and the Continental Congress; a variant printing of the Bay Psalm Book; a first edition of the earliest firsthand account of the Lewis and Clark expedition; and an unusual volume of original outsider and occult art from 1904.
Read more about Forthcoming in August 2020: LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History January 30, 2020 LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Forthcoming in August 2020: LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day, 1971. Upcoming at auction. Remembering & Creating History Swann Galleries’ inaugural Pride Sale in June 2019 was met with a full house and eager international…
Read more about 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings: Upcoming in March 2020 January 28, 2020 Prints & Drawings 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings: Upcoming in March 2020 Prints, paintings and drawings include examples by Jean-François Millet, Joan Miró, René Magritte, Rufino Tamayo, Diego Rivera and others.
Read more about Welcoming the New Decade: A Letter from Swann Galleries’ President, Nicholas D. Lowry January 13, 2020 Swann Welcoming the New Decade: A Letter from Swann Galleries’ President, Nicholas D. Lowry As a new decade dawns, I am reminded that in order to move ahead Swann must continuously look into the historical rearview mirror and select the best material from bygone…
Read more about Classic & Contemporary Photographs: Winter-Spring 2020 January 10, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Classic & Contemporary Photographs: Winter-Spring 2020 Photographs by outstanding American artists headline this auction: Berenice Abbott, Dawoud Bey, Margaret Bourke-White, Harry Callahan, Edward Steichen and Minor White.
Read more about Fine Books & Manuscripts: Winter 2020 January 3, 2020 Books & Manuscripts Fine Books & Manuscripts: Winter 2020 First editions of all of Jane Austen’s major novels, over 20 inscribed first editions by Graham Greene, autographmaterial from Walt Whitman, Napoleon and Princess Diana.
Read more about Vintage Posters: Winter-Spring 2020 Highlights December 10, 2019 Vintage Posters Vintage Posters: Winter-Spring 2020 Highlights Ski poster enthusiasts always find something appealing in our winter Vintage Posters auction, but most exciting is the section of rare and important Art Nouveau posters
Read more about African-American Art from the Johnson Publishing Company December 7, 2019 African American Art African-American Art from the Johnson Publishing Company We welcome a new decade with 100 fine artworks from the collection of the Johnson Publishing Company, a great institution of American publishing and an icon of African-American culture. The sale will feature paintings, sculpture and works on paper from diverse periods, with 75 artists featured,
Read more about Still Reading It for the Cartoons: Changing Production Methods & Public Perception in Illustration November 19, 2019 Illustration Art Still Reading It for the Cartoons: Changing Production Methods & Public Perception in Illustration Cartoonists Emily Flake & Benjamin Schwartz in Conversation We got together on December 5, 2019 to hear from cartoonists Emily Flake and Benjamin Schwartz, both regular contributors to The New…
Read more about Fall 2019: Illustration Art November 8, 2019 Illustration Art Fall 2019: Illustration Art This fun and wide-ranging Illustration Art auction offers an early images by Dr. Seuss, as well as a selection of illustration by Edward Gorey, Charles Addams, Ludwig Bemelmans, Saul Steinberg, Georges Lepape, H.A. Rey and Charles Dana Gibson.
Read more about Fall 2019: Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books November 4, 2019 Maps & Atlases Fall 2019: Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books Interesting items for all collectors feature in the sale with botanical and historic prints, plates by John James Audubon, Hawaiian and Japanese imprints, atlases and maps of nearly any destination you can think of.
Read more about Fall 2019: Contemporary Art October 16, 2019 Contemporary Art Fall 2019: Contemporary Art Anchoring this auction is a special selection of works by women of the New York Abstract Expressionist school, notably Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell and Lee Krasner, in a timely celebration of the era and their overlooked contributions to the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence.
Read more about Fall 2019: Rare & Important Travel Posters October 11, 2019 Vintage Posters Fall 2019: Rare & Important Travel Posters Our twentieth anniversary Travel Poster sale can be summed up in one powerful, romantic word: trains. An extraordinary private collection of American railway posters, the best we’ve ever seen, includes a virtual history from the early years of the New York Central Lines to the Streamliner trains of the 1930s and 40s.
Read more about Happening January 28: Celebrating the Legacy of the Johnson Publishing Company October 9, 2019 African American Art Happening January 28: Celebrating the Legacy of the Johnson Publishing Company Amid a backdrop of highlights from the Johnson Publishing Company’s incredible art collection—the majority of which hung in the offices of the company’s historic Chicago headquarters—we will sit down with fashion commentator Audrey Smaltz.
Read more about Rembrandt Etchings from the John Villarino Collection October 9, 2019 Prints & Drawings Rembrandt Etchings from the John Villarino Collection Old Master Through Modern Prints At Auction October 29 Over the course of his prolific career, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) completed more than 350 etchings and cemented his reputation as…
Read more about The History of Books & Manuscripts at Swann Galleries October 7, 2019 Autographs The History of Books & Manuscripts at Swann Galleries Bibliophiles of every denomination—Americana, autographs, art books, archives, atlases, ephemera, literature, maps—can find their niche at Swann Galleries. Originally founded in New York as a book auction house, we hold regular specialized sales devoted to books, printed material and manuscripts.
Read more about Fall 2019: Old Master Through Modern Prints October 2, 2019 Prints & Drawings Fall 2019: Old Master Through Modern Prints Old Master works include early tour-de-force impressions by Francisco José de Goya, Albrecht Dürer, Pieter Bruegel, Antonio da Canal, Il Canaletto and Giovanni B. Piranesi. Further highlights in the art of printmaking from the nineteenth through the twentieth century include works by European and American masters Thomas Hart Benton, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí, Martin Lewis and Henri Matisse.
Read more about Fall 2019: Old Master Drawings October 1, 2019 Prints & Drawings Fall 2019: Old Master Drawings This auction traces the development of draftsmanship over several centuries from late-Gothic, early-Renaissance works of the fifteenth century, to Baroque and Rococo drawings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Read more about Fall 2019: Early Printed, Travel, Scientific & Medical Books September 8, 2019 Early Printed Books Fall 2019: Early Printed, Travel, Scientific & Medical Books A choice selection of incunabula brings to auction infrequently seen editions of Johannes Jacobus Canis’s 1476 guide to the study of civil and canon law; Albertus Magnus’s comprehensive lapidary De mineralibus, Pavia, 1491; and Philippus Beroaldus’s philosophical tract on happiness, De felicitate opusculum, Bologna, 1495.
Read more about Selections from the Sackner Archive of Concrete & Visual Poetry September 3, 2019 Books & Manuscripts Selections from the Sackner Archive of Concrete & Visual Poetry Before being moved to its permanent home at the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections, a choice selection of works from the Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry—the most comprehensive collection of its kind—will be offered at Swann Galleries on October 10.
Read more about Fall 2019: Classic & Contemporary Photographs August 29, 2019 Photographs & Photobooks Fall 2019: Classic & Contemporary Photographs Featured photographers include: Walead Beshty, John Divola, Seydou Keïta, Richard Misrach, Vik Muniz, Andres Serrano and Joel Sternfeld. A headliner among the rare photobook offerings is a 1950s–1972 Edward Ruscha archive featuring a signed first edition of his Twentysix Gasoline Stations—as well as other signed artist’s books, a signed lithograph Have a Soup Souper Season, ephemeral material, and a Polaroid.
Read more about 19th & 20th Century Literature: Hemingway, Morrison & Tolkien—Fall 2019 August 27, 2019 Books & Manuscripts 19th & 20th Century Literature: Hemingway, Morrison & Tolkien—Fall 2019 Remarkable firsts in unrestored dust jackets by Barnaby Ross, Owen Wister, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, plus well-loved titles by Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison and Kurt Vonnegut Vonnegut comprise this fall 2019 selection of literature.
Read more about Autographs: Davy Crockett, Greta Garbo, Annie Oakley & Herman Melville—Fall 2019 August 27, 2019 Books & Manuscripts Autographs: Davy Crockett, Greta Garbo, Annie Oakley & Herman Melville—Fall 2019 Signed material by artists, authors, politicians, musicians and more, including Davy Crockett, Walt Disney, Annie Oakley, Babe Ruth, Greta Garbo, Franz Liszt, George Washington.
Read more about Art, Press & Illustrated Books: Blake, Cocteau & Rackham—Fall 2019 August 27, 2019 Books & Manuscripts Art, Press & Illustrated Books: Blake, Cocteau & Rackham—Fall 2019 Fall 2019 promises a strong collection of exquisite artist’s books, and illustrated volumes, some unique and some from fine presses, including works by Arthur Rackham, William Blake and Jean Cocteau.
Read more about Augusta Savage to Zoë Charlton: Women of Color Artists Featured in African-American Fine Art, Fall 2019 August 26, 2019 African American Art Augusta Savage to Zoë Charlton: Women of Color Artists Featured in African-American Fine Art, Fall 2019 At Swann, we’re lucky to contribute to an overall market correction, offering exceptional art by women of color, whose work on the themes of feminism and identity is increasingly being recognized by a more equitable marketplace.
Read more about From Abstract Expressionists to Color Field Painters—African-American Fine Art August 26, 2019 African American Art From Abstract Expressionists to Color Field Painters—African-American Fine Art Abstraction features heavily in our October 2019 sale of African-American Fine Art, including first-generation abstract expressionist Norman Lewis, alongside artists Sam Gilliam and Kenneth Victor Young of the Washington Color School.