Jennifer Stewart, art collector, advisor, and friend of Patricia Scipio-Brim, recounts her friendship with Patricia, their shared love of art, and Patricia’s sharp eye for collecting. I first met Pat…
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.
Dr. James Pearl reflects on the process of amassing his collection of American photography. Coming to auction at Swann Galleries February 15.
This summer’s LGBTQ+ auction is a testament to the growing interest in the newly defined area of collecting. As in previous auctions the material represents a broad and exciting swath…
Our June Fine Books & Autographs sale features remarkable items signed by U.S. Presidents, musicians, and entertainers, as well as a special selection of autographs by historical figures who aspired…
Our March 2 Fine Books & Autographs sale will feature an outstanding selection of presidential autographs, including clipped signatures and signed letters by George Washington. More than three items are…
Fine Autographs Sure to arouse curiosity, the summer Fine Books & Autographs sale shines a light into some of the most sparkling gemstones of history. Bidders can explore significant material…
Imagine, if you will, the most famous actress you can think of: accomplished, multifaceted, beautiful, and globally recognized. Odds are you’re thinking of someone from Hollywood. Now imagine her with…
Printmaking has a long history of making the fine art world at large more accessible internationally, due to its affordability and impact. This can be seen in the efforts of…
During her time as a gallerist, Virginia Zabriskie was keyed into the zeitgeist of the era. She embraced the Dada Manifesto and Surrealist ideals, presenting several exhibitions that explored these…
A Little Self(ie) Love Whether you love them or hate them, selfies have become a large part of self-representation in contemporary culture. Though the term selfie tends to refer specifically…
Dorothea Lange‘s iconic photographs from her time documenting for the Farm Security Administration, as well as her international travels, resonate through the decades since. Here we provide insight to the…
On February 4, 2021, Swann offered: The Artists of the WPA. The first iteration of the multi-departmental sale, featured paintings, prints, photographs, posters, books and related ephemera by artists whose…
Original artwork from children’s literature continue to make up a large portion of our Illustration Art sales. The enduring appeal of this collecting category is in part due to the…
We are honored to offer the collection of Virginia Zabriskie in a special single-owner auction in 2021. Virginia Zabriskie’s (1927-2019) personal collection was not only manifested in her discerning taste, but during a pioneering career spanning more than five decades marked by audacity and innovation in a field that was not always encouraging to professional women.
After 15 years with Swann, Deborah Rogal is stepping into the role of Director of our Photographs & Photobooks department. As she transitions into her new position we asked a few questions about her time with the house: how things have changed over the years, the photography market, and what’s to come.
A Note From Swann Galleries President Nicholas D. Lowry: Swann is unequivocally against racism, institutionalized racism, racism and discrimination in all forms, and we believe that black lives matter. We are champions of dignity and respect and advocates for peace.
Michael Halsband is known for his striking portraits of celebrities, from rock stars to artists, as well as his commercial work for major publications such as Vogue, GQ, and Esquire.…
Ernie Barnes was the first American professional athlete to become a noted painter. From his sports experience and the study of anatomy, Barnes’ unique style of elongation captures the movement, energy and grace of his subjects.
At Auction May 21, 2020 Our May 21, 2020 sale of Old Master Through Modern Prints opens with a special section—the first hundred lots of the sale—dedicated to fine old…
Robert Mapplethorpe met Lisa Lyon, the first World Women’s BodyBuilding Champion, at a party in SoHo in 1979 where her black rubber outfit caught Mapplethorpe’s eye.
William Pène du Bois’ whimsical illustrations and beloved cast of characters made serious themes accessible and engaging for children. The American author and illustrator is among a select few who…
Internationally-renowned graphic artist and designer Tadanori Yokoo, who has been called “the grandmaster of Japanese pop-psych art,” got his start as a stage designer for avant garde theatre in Tokyo. It is no wonder why his eventual foray into poster design resulted in graphics that are unfailingly theatrical and dramatic—drawing on Psychedelia, mysticism, Pop culture and Japanese imagery.
While Dorothea Lange—and her portrait of Florence Thompson, Migrant Mother—has become one of the most well-known photographers to come out of the Great Depression and the Farm Security Administration’s photography…
Finding yourself at a loss for what to read while social distancing? Take a look at what our specialists and staff are reading right now!
Here we take look at letters, postcards and greeting cards from Romare Bearden to his longtime friend and collaborator Harry Henderson, as well as touch on the 2005 sale of Henderson’s art collection that made the establishment of our African-American Fine Art Department possible.
With photography’s inherent ability to be duplicated, edition size can be a major focus and concern for collectors. While many contemporary photographers clearly edition their works, it has not always…
Finding yourself at a loss for what to watch while social distancing? Take a look at what our specialists and staff are streaming right now!
Corey Serrant is the newest member of our African-American fine art department – in fact, he started the week of our white-glove sale of the Johnson Publishing Company collection! We…
In the latest installment in our Swann in Profile series, we welcome Harold Porcher as Director of our new Modern & Post-War Art department. Read below to learn more about Porcher, Modern and post-war art, and best collecting practices.
Our January 30 sale of African-American Art from the Johnson Publishing Company features nearly 30 market newcomers. Here we’ve assembled a selection of ten artists whose work is set to cross the auction block for the first time.
With the 2020 auction season on the horizon, we sat down with the newest addition to our books and manuscripts department, Devon Eastland, senior specialist for early printed books, to discuss all things books and material culture.
Our fall 2019 sale of Illustration Art on December 10 features a superb selection of artwork by women, whose contribution to the field is only just beginning to receive the recognition it deserves. Here Laura Polucha, the cataloguer for our Illustration Art department, touches on the highlights from the offering including story illustrations, advertisements and cartoons.
Sheila Gibson Stoodley, author of The Hot Bid, spoke with our Illustration Art Directors, Christine von der Linn about a special 1973 Charles Addams cartoon published in The New Yorker at auction December 10 in our Illustration Art sale.
Your exhibition guide to shows featuring the women of the Abstract Expressionist movement and beyond.
Swann Galleries’ Fall 2019 auction of African-American Fine resulted in nine new auction records, supported by a room brimming with bidders—in fact, there were just enough chairs for everyone.
With a proclivity to the grim, grisly and gruesome, Charles Addams walked through life illuminating its incongruous funny bones and sore spots. Here we discuss his contributions to The New Yorker and his famous kooky family.
Norman Lewis was an Abstract Expressionist painter associated with The Irascibles who developed as a painter as the New York Modern Art scene grew. Here we discuss Lewis’s rise from the margins to art market center.
Roy Lichtenstein is known for his commercial art-inspired works that provided parody through Pop Art and elevated the art of cartooning. Though all of his work maintains the semi-fantastical air…
Poster Passion Leads to a Successful Auction Our August 1 Vintage Poster sale set at least six auction records, including a new high price for Sutro Baths. The exhibition for…
Wartime propaganda can serve a variety of purposes, from recruitment and morale-building to conservation. During World War II all of these played a role in the Office of War Information’s…
Sheila Gibson Stoodley, author of The Hot Bid, interviewed our President & Principal Auctioneer Nicholas D. Lowry about the most expensive travel poster ever sold. Sheila’s blog, The Hot Bid showcases…
Our Summer Reading List is back for 2018! Here’s what some of us are cracking into in the off-season. Nicholas D. Lowry, President & Principal Auctioneer Noah Charney and Ingrid…
The 2017-18 auction season at Swann Galleries was replete with record prices and rediscovered paintings, offering works created as early as the fifteenth century and as recently as last year.…
On June 21, our auction of Revolutionary & Presidential Americana from the Collection of William Wheeler III saw a 91% sell-through rate for important autographs, letters and documents from some of…
Our auction of American Art on June 14 offered original works by bastions of the category including William Glackens and John Singer Sargent, as well as artists whose work has…
Our auction of Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books on June 7 brought to market landmarks from the history of cartography and ornithology. The nearly 400 lots…
William Wheeler III’s collection of Revolutionary and Presidential Americana, coming to auction June 21, began on his 21st birthday with the gift of his three-times-great-uncle’s appointment as an Ensign to…
Multi-talented artists can appear in multiple departments at Swann. Our June 14 auction of American Art will feature highlights by Pavel Tchelitchew, whose work also appears in our auctions of Illustration…
Pictured here is Marvin Newma