Punks, goths, mods, beatniks, club kids, and hippies: a shortlist of an endless supply of social factions that make up the fabled “underground.” In the grander societal context, they are…
How do you assess your rare book collection and know if it’s right for sale at auction? At Swann Galleries, we receive many inquiries from folks wondering what to do…
Swann has been called many things over the years: Swann Galleries; Swann Auction Galleries; Swann’s [sic], sometimes New York’s oldest specialty auction house. But in the fall of 2024,…
2024 was an eventful year for Swann that brought about exciting changes, including the reorganization of our Fine Art Department, which saw Nigel Freeman step in as the head of…
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…
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…
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…
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…
This special evening celebration of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation will offer an opportunity to collect contemporary works while supporting Rush. Join us in person, online, or over the phone…
Nicholas D. Lowry shares his picks for The Subculture Sale. Bidding open now through February 8.
Join Us Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 6:00 PM ETPanel to Begin at 6:30 PM ET At Swann Galleries: 104 East 25th Street, 6th Floor, NYC Join Swann President, and…
Swann Galleries continued to offer exceptional auctions of quality material in 2023. The year featured several collections, including a special selection of 100 works from the Stephen White collection in…
The start of the fall 2023 auction season at Swann brought Skye Lacerte as a new specialist for the Illustration Art department. Ahead of the December 14 sale, we sat…
It seems like a cliché in our rarified world of auctions to use the expression “What’s Old is New Again,” and yet, here we are in the heat of an…
Swann started as a specialized auction house for rare books in 1941 and we continue to hold auctions dedicated to the genre every year (as the saying goes: once a…
2022 was a historic year for Swann in more ways than one. The house celebrated its 80th year of auctions, bringing with it the 70th anniversary of the first photography…
The winter-spring auction season at Swann is a masterclass in marathon training, and the 2022 iteration proved no different with 20 auctions held between late January and the middle of August.
Summer is well underway which means our auction schedule has slowed and our specialists and staff have a bit more downtime to catch up on their favorite books. Enjoy this…
Swann Galleries celebrates its 80th anniversary with a note from president Nicholas D. Lowry.
As we close out another successful year at Swann we look back at our record-filled sales.
The New Deal not only established a great legacy, but a greater generation of artists whose works defined the American spirit.
This past summer Swann held its first auction devoted to works by women. We are pleased to annouce another edition of this sale, to be held in June 2022, once again spearheaded by Devon Eastland, our Early Printed Books Specialist, but offering a wide assortment of material
Swann is so proud to have not only made it through the heart of the pandemic but also to have done so with grace, professionalism and more than just a modicum of success. Throughout it all we were able to keep our focus and not only continue providing the wonderful services we are known for but also to begin carving out new and exciting niches in brand new collecting areas.
This year Swann Galleries holds a third annual auction dedicated to the art, material culture, and history of the LGBTQ+ community, bringing to market both familiar artists as well as…
Summer reading recommendations from our team of specialists and support staff, as well as some resources for supporting independent booksellers.
Modern & Post-War Art, Fine Photographs & Contemporary Art Auctions of Modern & Post-War Art, Fine Photographs and Contemporary Art at Swann Galleries in late May and early June 2021…
As collectors and institutions turn their focus to the important contributions of women, Swann is pleased to feature their work at auction. We are seeking consignments that highlight the stories of all those in the community who identify as women in the fields of activism, art and design, community, education, entertainment, health and wellness, science and innovation, sport, and work. The auction will feature first editions, handwritten manuscript material, archives, and works on paper by historically significant poets, novelists, scientists, journalists, photographers, playwrights, performers and beyond.
With the arrival of baseball’s Opening Day, spring is truly here. Swann does not handle baseball memorabilia in the traditional sense, leaving the encapsulated gem-mint rookie cards and game-worn jerseys to…
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…
We’re pleased to present this curated auction of WPA-era artwork, photographs, and related material. In the aftermath of the Great Depression, president Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and its related agencies represented an unprecedented investment in art and artists, setting the scene for the twentieth century’s art movements, and establishing the careers of diverse creatives, including women, Black artists, photographers, and muralists.
In a year that was unlike any in our lifetimes, Swann’s specialists and staff proved to be as resilient and innovative as ever, bringing forward new and safe ways to…
Against all apparent odds, the last six turbulent months have shown promising developments within the auction world. Sales are robust and interest is brisk Swann President & Principal Auctioneer Nicholas…
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.
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 Full Month of Fine Art Sales at Swann Delivers Record Prices Swann offered four sales of Fine Art this June, each one proving audiences are undeterred by the remote…
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.
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!
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…
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…
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.
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.
The 2010s brought Swann a number of notable moments including memorable sales, the establishment of two new departments, and the celebration of the 75th anniversary of our first sale. Here we take a look at some of favorite highlights from the last ten years.
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…
Join us on November 19 for the third in a series of events highlighting The Archives of American Art.
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.
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.
With the newly opened Poster House museum as a backdrop, we spoke with Specialist Lauren Goldberg in our Vintage Posters Department about, well, what else—posters! You’ve been at…
What are the inherent challenges in telling a history that is still being unearthed, and what can media and material objects add to that story? Against the backdrop of the…
Pictured here is Marvin Newma