October 29, 2013Swann Communications19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Paul Cézanne: A Lightning Rod for Criticism at the Armory Show Read more about Paul Cézanne: A Lightning Rod for Criticism at the Armory Show Amid all of the shock, sensationalism and bewilderment surrounding many of the works in the 1913 Armory Show, much of the harshest criticism was levied at the paintings of Paul Cézanne, though…
Read more about Mary Cassatt: Celebrated Impressionist October 24, 2013 Prints & Drawings Mary Cassatt: Celebrated Impressionist Born in Philadelphia into a well-to-do family, Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) spent most of her adult life in Europe and, along with Berthe Morisot, went on to become one of the…
Read more about James A.M. Whistler in the 1913 Armory Show October 23, 2013 Prints & Drawings James A.M. Whistler in the 1913 Armory Show There were four paintings by James A.M. Whistler (1834-1903) in the Armory Show; all of which were figural works exhibited in Gallery P among significant French 19th century paintings.
Read more about Francisco José de Goya and Modern Art October 18, 2013 Prints & Drawings Francisco José de Goya and Modern Art Francisco José de Goya (1746-1828) was included in the Armory Show as the first artist in the organizers’ timeline of modern art. The chronology of modern art devised by Arthur B. Davies–president of the Armory Show exhibition committee, aka the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS)–grouped Goya with Ingres, Delacroix and Courbet as a forerunner of modern art.
Read more about The Armory Show at 100: An Introduction to the Catalogue October 16, 2013 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings The Armory Show at 100: An Introduction to the Catalogue This is the first in a series of posts about Swann’s upcoming November 5 auction titled The Armory Show at 100: America’s Introduction to Modern Art. The following essay by…
Read more about A Previously Unknown Norman Lewis Painting September 30, 2013 African American Art A Previously Unknown Norman Lewis Painting The image chosen for the cover of Swann’s upcoming sale Point of Departure: Postwar African-American Fine Art is a circa 1957 Untitled oil on canvas by Norman Lewis. The previously unrecorded painting was acquired…
Read more about Mark Michaelson: Crime Becomes Collectible, Mugshots for Sale September 16, 2013 Photographs & Photobooks Mark Michaelson: Crime Becomes Collectible, Mugshots for Sale Murder and mayhem have long fascinated photographers and film aficionados, and are also inextricably linked with collectors of vernacular photography. But, how did the mugshot become a fine-art collectible? For…
Read more about Moholy-Nagy’s Watercolor September 11, 2013 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Moholy-Nagy’s Watercolor Swann will offer a László Moholy-Nagy gouache and watercolor Composition in our 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings auction tomorrow. Moholy-Nagy (1894-1946) was an influential Jewish-Hungarian artist known for…
Read more about Chiles Rellenos, circa 1825, with Americana Specialist Rick Stattler September 5, 2013 Printed & Manuscript Americana Chiles Rellenos, circa 1825, with Americana Specialist Rick Stattler We will be offering an early Mexican manuscript cookbook in our October 10, 2013 Printed & Manuscript Americana auction. We don’t know the author, we don’t know the date, but…
Read more about Notes from the Catalogue: Artist Jane Peterson May 31, 2013 American Art Notes from the Catalogue: Artist Jane Peterson Our June 13 auction of American Art features five unique works by Jane Peterson, an American artist born in Elgin, Illinois in 1876. Born into relative poverty, she showed artistic promise…
Read more about Notes from the Catalogue: John Randel’s Map of New York May 14, 2013 Maps & Atlases Notes from the Catalogue: John Randel’s Map of New York Among the highlights of Swann’s June 6 auction of Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Historical Prints, Ephemera is a Final Commissioner’s Map of New York City by John Randel,…
May 3, 2013 Art Press & Illustrated Books Christine von der Linn on Irving Oaklander Thursday, May 9th, our sale of Art, Press & Illustrated Books will feature the inventory of the late Irving Oaklander, known to all who sought rare books about graphic design,…
Read more about Notes from the Catalogue: Picasso’s Dora Maar April 29, 2013 Old Master Through Modern Prints Notes from the Catalogue: Picasso’s Dora Maar Among the highlights of our May 1, 2013 auction of Old Master Through Modern Prints is a brilliant, richly-inked impression of Pablo Picasso’s aquatint, scraper, burin and drypoint, Femme au fauteuil II: Dora Maar.…
March 13, 2013 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Notes from the Catalogue: The Emancipation Proclamation “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal” declares the extraordinary document brought forth by our founders on July 4, 1776. But as we…
Read more about Early Photographs of Asia from the Estate of Fong Chow February 5, 2013 Photographs & Photobooks Early Photographs of Asia from the Estate of Fong Chow Swann Galleries’ February 26, 2013 auction of Fine Photographs features several early photographic albums filled with images of Asia that come from the Estate of Fong Chow. Chow (1923-2012) was…
January 28, 2013 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings The Armory Show at 100: America’s Introduction to Modern Art This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the famed 1913 Armory Show. The seminal show was originally held in the 69th Regiment Armory at Lexington & 25th Street, just across…
Read more about Three Artist’s Christmas Cards November 14, 2012 American Art Three Artist’s Christmas Cards The holiday season seems to have surprised everyone this year with its early arrival, but there is still time to get your Christmas cards in order. Need inspiration? Look no…
Read more about The Chicago Renaissance: Eldzier Cortor, Hughie Lee-Smith, & Charles White October 18, 2012 African American Art The Chicago Renaissance: Eldzier Cortor, Hughie Lee-Smith, & Charles White Figurative artists Eldzier Cortor, Hughie Lee-Smith and Charles White stayed true to their roots in social realism as their work evolved in the post-war decades. Unlike contemporaries Charles Alston, Norman…
Read more about $1.44 Million for Edward S. Curtis’s The North American Indian October 5, 2012 Photographs & Photobooks $1.44 Million for Edward S. Curtis’s The North American Indian Yesterday Swann sold a complete set of Edward S. Curtis’s The North American Indian for $1,440,000–the highest priced item ever sold at New York’s premiere auction house for works on…
Read more about Typography Masterpieces May 7, 2012 Vintage Posters Typography Masterpieces A recent auction of Modernist Posters features several examples of modernist typography from major innovators of the form, including Max Bill, Walter Dexel and Jan Tschichold, all associates of the…
Read more about Ansel Adams in Color! March 22, 2012 Photographs & Photobooks Ansel Adams in Color! Known for his attention and passion for the technical aspects of print making, Ansel Adams became a consultant for Edwin Land and the Polaroid Corporation in 1948. He tested film…
November 10, 2011 Vintage Posters Three Chicago Travel Posters You’ll Love Two images from 1924 for Chicago Rapid Transit were intended to draw visitors to the city’s attractions: Ervine Metzl’s evening view of buildings obscured by trees, which is reminiscent of…
Read more about Penises and Pompadours: The Erotic Art of Franz von Bayros November 3, 2011 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Penises and Pompadours: The Erotic Art of Franz von Bayros Decadent! Erotic! Phantasmagoric! Fin-de-siècle grotesqueries! Gents and ladies disporting themselves, occasionally with a zealous attention by attending friends from the animal kingdom! The provocative work of Austrian artist Franz von…
Read more about A Freudian Slip of Paper: 1933 Analysis Bill Comes to Auction October 28, 2011 Autographs A Freudian Slip of Paper: 1933 Analysis Bill Comes to Auction Despite the waning influence of his work in contemporary psychology, Sigmund Freud’s ideas, personality, and image continue to attract admirers. Freud’s importance to western culture is demonstrated by the widespread…
Read more about Atelier 17: Europe and the Early Years October 10, 2011 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Atelier 17: Europe and the Early Years The informal co-operative printmaking workshop that English painter and draftsman Stanley William Hayter opened in 1927 had its modest and unforeseen beginnings at his own dilapidated studio in Paris. In 1933 he moved…
Read more about James A.M. Whistler: Three Print Records Set September 28, 2011 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings James A.M. Whistler: Three Print Records Set Our September 2011 auction of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings set three auction records for prints by important artists. Furthering our position as the leading auction house for…
Read more about Robert Scott Duncanson’s East Coast Debut May 11, 2011 African American Art Robert Scott Duncanson’s East Coast Debut Robert Scott Duncanson was the first African-American landscape painter to achieve international recognition. The son of a biracial tradesman from Virginia, and the grandson of a freed slave, Duncanson apprenticed in…
Read more about Books Arts or Art Books? Call Them What You Will May 5, 2011 Art Press & Illustrated Books Books Arts or Art Books? Call Them What You Will There is a sign tacked to the cork board of the Art & Illustrated Books Department clipped from a forgotten source years ago that states: “What’s the difference between artist’s…
Read more about The Four Gospels: One of the Most Important Fine Press Books of the Last Century April 4, 2011 Art Press & Illustrated Books The Four Gospels: One of the Most Important Fine Press Books of the Last Century The 1931 Golden Cockerel Press edition of the Four Gospels set the text of the King James Gospels into a masterly example of book design and is considered one of…
January 21, 2011 African American Art Romare Bearden: Celebrating One Hundred Years Romare Bearden is undoubtedly one of America’s greatest artists. Today, his collages are viewed as some of the most unique and significant contributions to 20th century American art. Born during…
Read more about Andy Warhol’s Index Book December 6, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Andy Warhol’s Index Book Finely packaged and replete with surprises, Andy Warhol’s Index (Book), included in Thursday’s Important Photographs & Photobooks auction, introduces Warhol’s parallel themes of charming whimsy, and his brilliant upending of…
Read more about Irving Penn and Alexandra Beller November 30, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Irving Penn and Alexandra Beller Irving Penn is associated with fine photographs of fashionable women. An innovative artist and master technician, Penn recognized that editorial photography was but one form of representation and moved effortlessly…
Read more about Feminism, Surrealism and the Theater in Claude Cahun’s Photographs November 23, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Feminism, Surrealism and the Theater in Claude Cahun’s Photographs The majority of photographer Claude Cahun’s imagery is associated with the feminist Surrealist movement. Her artwork focuses on issues related to gender and identity, with a particular emphasis on sexual…
Read more about Lloyd Goodrich and Reginald Marsh November 15, 2010 American Art Lloyd Goodrich and Reginald Marsh This Thursday’s American Art sale includes several items from the collection of Lloyd Goodrich, one of the most distinguished American art historians of the 20th century and Director of the…
Read more about Whistler’s ‘Nocturne’: Our Most Expensive Print October 29, 2010 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Whistler’s ‘Nocturne’: Our Most Expensive Print Our October 27 & 28, 2010 two-part print sale, which began with Whistler and His Influence on Wednesday, set records. James A. M. Whistler’s Nocturne became the most expensive Whistler print…
Read more about James A.M. Whistler and Lithography October 25, 2010 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings James A.M. Whistler and Lithography James A. M. Whistler’s work in lithography dates from three distinct periods of his career. His two earliest lithographs, from 1855, were made in the U.S. just prior to his…
Read more about Whistler, London and the Thames October 21, 2010 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Whistler, London and the Thames When James A.M. Whistler moved from Paris to London in May 1859, the city became his adopted home for the rest of his life. The scenery along the Thames was…
Read more about Yesterday’s Top Lots: Fine Photographs & Select Photobooks October 20, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Yesterday’s Top Lots: Fine Photographs & Select Photobooks The Fine Photographs & Select Photobooks auction yesterday, October 19, 2010, saw much interest in a large selection of photojournalism, as well as a photograph by Annie Leibovitz of John…
Read more about Handmade John F. Kennedy Albums October 13, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Handmade John F. Kennedy Albums As a boy, Robert A. Cumins, now a prominent photojournalist, was fascinated with President John F. Kennedy’s administration. A local newspaperman who knew of Cumins’s interest in JFK passed along…
Read more about First Known Reference to Baseball at Yale September 30, 2010 Printed & Manuscript Americana First Known Reference to Baseball at Yale James Beebee Brinsmade Jr.’s diary offers intimate details of what life was like on Yale University’s campus in the 1840s. Brinsmade’s two-volume diary appears at auction today in the Printed…
Read more about David Hammons Garners International Recognition for African-American Art September 29, 2010 African American Art David Hammons Garners International Recognition for African-American Art Contemporary African-American artist David Hammons is known for his body prints and assemblages of found objects, such as his fly swatter. His oversize version of an African-American flag hangs outside the Studio…
Read more about Daile Kaplan on Ansel Adams & the Value of a Photograph August 24, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Daile Kaplan on Ansel Adams & the Value of a Photograph With the unfolding story surrounding a box of photographic negatives discovered in California, which were originally reported to have been taken by esteemed photographer Ansel Adams, many questions have popped…
Read more about Scenes of the City: Prints, Drawings & Paintings of New York August 23, 2010 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Scenes of the City: Prints, Drawings & Paintings of New York Scenes of the City: Prints, Drawings & Paintings of New York is an important collection of some of the finest and most significant examples of 19th and 20th century New…
Read more about Bob Thompson and the 1960s New York Art Scene June 17, 2010 African American Art Bob Thompson and the 1960s New York Art Scene Bob Thompson stood apart from most of his contemporaries in the early 1960s. On one hand, he was the epitome of a New York bohemian artist working in a Clinton…
Read more about Gordon Matta-Clark: Walls Paper, Deconstructed May 18, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Gordon Matta-Clark: Walls Paper, Deconstructed Gordon Matta-Clark, whose work is featured in the Photographic Literature portion of Thursday’s sale, brought an inspired and playful quality to his highly experimental and diverse art projects. All speak…
Read more about Imogen Cunningham’s Magnolia Blossom May 6, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Imogen Cunningham’s Magnolia Blossom Imogen Cunningham’s life-long love for flora, combined with her keen understanding of line, textural contrast and lighting, bring forth the magnolia blossom’s pure form and soft sensuality through shadow and…
Read more about Alexey Brodovitch: Ballet April 30, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Alexey Brodovitch: Ballet Both sections of the May 20, 2010 Photographic Literature and Important Photographs auction at Swann feature highlight items by Alexey Brodovitch, the late Harper’s Bazaar art director and photographer. Brodovitch’s…
April 26, 2010 Early Printed Books The Inventory of the late Lawrence Feinberg Deborah Chaleff and Jacqueline Feinberg introduce the Early Printed Books & Manuscripts from the Inventory of the late Lawrence Feinberg sale on May 11, 2010 at Swann:“Lawrence Feinberg was originally…
Read more about The Otto Penzler Collection of British Espionage and Thriller Fiction March 15, 2010 19th & 20th Century Literature The Otto Penzler Collection of British Espionage and Thriller Fiction Any collector knows that the reasons behind a particular collection are often just as fascinating as the collection itself. Otto Penzler, proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York, and…