February 22, 2022Nicholas D. LowryVintage Posters Collecting Vintage Winter Sports Posters Read more about Collecting Vintage Winter Sports Posters The modern Olympic Games were first held in 1896, with an appropriate historical nod to antiquity, in Athens, Greece. It wasn’t until 28 years later, in 1924, that the first…
Read more about Sarah Bernhardt, Mucha’s Muse February 16, 2022 Vintage Posters Sarah Bernhardt, Mucha’s Muse 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…
Read more about Records & Results: 70 Years of Photographs at Swann February 14, 2022 Photographs & Photobooks Records & Results: 70 Years of Photographs at Swann On February 10, 2022, we held Fine Photographs: Celebrating 70 Years of Photographs at Swann, not only did the sale mark the 70th anniversary of photography auctions at the house…
Read more about Danny Lyon’s Civil Rights Photography February 7, 2022 Photographs & Photobooks Danny Lyon’s Civil Rights Photography Related Reading: Do you have photographs by Danny Lyon we should take a look at? Learn about how to consign to an auction, and send us a note about your item.
Read more about Deborah Rogal’s Specialist Picks: 5 Photographs from the 70th Anniversary Sale February 7, 2022 Photographs & Photobooks Deborah Rogal’s Specialist Picks: 5 Photographs from the 70th Anniversary Sale Armed with seven decades of photography history at her disposal, and nearly 20 years in the field, Swann photographs and photobooks director, Deborah Rogal, shares five of her favorite images…
Read more about 19th & 20th Century Art: March 10, 2022 Auction Highlights February 7, 2022 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings 19th & 20th Century Art: March 10, 2022 Auction Highlights Highlights include a recently discovered self portrait by the Italian modernist Giacomo Balla, Il disperato; Autoritratto, oil on canvas, circa 1898-1900, as well as a large drawing by Gustav Klimt…
Read more about Swann Opens 2022 with Whirlwind Auction Celebrating the Artists of the WPA February 1, 2022 The Artists of the WPA Swann Opens 2022 with Whirlwind Auction Celebrating the Artists of the WPA The house opened 2022 with The Artists of the WPA on Thursday, January 27. The follow-up to an inaugural 2021 sale proved the staying power of this special offering with…
Read more about Harold Porcher’s Specialist Picks: The Artist of the WPA — January 27, 2022 January 24, 2022 The Artists of the WPA Harold Porcher’s Specialist Picks: The Artist of the WPA — January 27, 2022 Harold Porcher, Director of Modern & Post-War Art and lead specialist for the Artists of the WPA sale on January 27, 2022, shares three standout paintings from the auction. Aaron…
Read more about Vintage Posters: February 24, 2022 Auction Highlights January 19, 2022 Vintage Posters Vintage Posters: February 24, 2022 Auction Highlights Boasting curious and graphic gems from across centuries and around the world, this auction includes a broad range of images. From the earliest and most wonderful examples of Art Nouveau,…
Read more about Fine Books & Autographs: February 17, 2022 Auction Highlights January 19, 2022 Autographs Fine Books & Autographs: February 17, 2022 Auction Highlights The auction has a number of autographs by inspiring innovators, including the cover of the 1982 issue of Time magazine featuring Steve Jobs, signed by him. If the greatness of…
Read more about Fine Photographs: Celebrating 70 Years of Photographs at Swann January 4, 2022 Photographs & Photobooks Fine Photographs: Celebrating 70 Years of Photographs at Swann Over 70 years ago, Swann held the first auction dedicated to photography in the United States. This 1952 photography auction was astonishingly early for a sale devoted to a medium…
Read more about 2021: Year in Review December 22, 2021 Swann 2021: Year in Review As we close out another successful year at Swann we look back at our record-filled sales.
Read more about Artists of the WPA & the Dawn of a New American Identity December 20, 2021 The Artists of the WPA Artists of the WPA & the Dawn of a New American Identity The New Deal not only established a great legacy, but a greater generation of artists whose works defined the American spirit.
Read more about Artist Profile: Georges Lepape December 13, 2021 Illustration Art Artist Profile: Georges Lepape Georges Lepape: Patriotism & Sentimentality in World War I Era Women’s Magazines World War I invaded every aspect of public life, including illustrated magazines of the period. While some women’s…
Read more about Records & Results: November 2021 Sales at Swann December 9, 2021 Prints & Drawings Records & Results: November 2021 Sales at Swann November Sales at Swann Bring $6.7M November at Swann Galleries featured a marathon of fine art auctions including a two-day sale of Old Master Through Modern Prints and Master Drawings,…
Read more about Caleb Kiffer’s Specialist Picks: Two Rare Finds in the December 9, 2021 Sale of Maps & Atlases December 3, 2021 Maps & Atlases Caleb Kiffer’s Specialist Picks: Two Rare Finds in the December 9, 2021 Sale of Maps & Atlases Our Maps & Atlases Specialist, Caleb Kiffer, often has the pleasure of handling rare and unique items in his sales. For example, take a look at the Charles Currier lithographic…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Illustration Art—December 16, 2021 November 30, 2021 Illustration Art Upcoming Highlights: Illustration Art—December 16, 2021 Related Reading: Examining Edward Gorey’s Market Get Notifications for Auction Day
Read more about Harold Porcher’s Specialist Picks: Works to Watch in the December 2, 2021 Modern & Post-War Art Auction November 23, 2021 Modern & Post-War Art Harold Porcher’s Specialist Picks: Works to Watch in the December 2, 2021 Modern & Post-War Art Auction We tasked our Modern & Post-War Art Director, Harold Porcher, to share the top lots to watch in the upcoming auction on December 2. Fine Sculpture Abstract Works Abstract Works
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books—December 9, 2021 November 16, 2021 Maps & Atlases Upcoming Highlights: Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books—December 9, 2021 Maps Caleb Kiffer’s Specialist Picks for Maps: Lots 43, 74, 121, 134 & 172 Atlases & Books with Maps Color Plate & Illustrated Books Historical Prints & Drawings Caleb Kiffer’s…
Read more about Rare & Important Travel Posters: Nicholas D. Lowry’s Picks for the November 23, 2021 Sale November 15, 2021 Vintage Posters Rare & Important Travel Posters: Nicholas D. Lowry’s Picks for the November 23, 2021 Sale Nicholas D. Lowry takes us around the world in under five minutes, as he shares a standout selection of exceptional vintage posters from our November 23, 2021 sale of Rare…
Read more about Latin-American Modernists November 6, 2021 Modern & Post-War Art Latin-American Modernists The end of the nineteenth century brought the Machine Age. Many wonderful innovations such as electrification, the assembly line, skyscrapers, and radio broadcast made communication and travel faster, and products…
Read more about Consign Now for June 2022: Focus on Women November 5, 2021 Focus On Women Consign Now for June 2022: Focus on Women 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
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Rare & Important Travel Posters—November 23, 2021 November 4, 2021 Vintage Posters Upcoming Highlights: Rare & Important Travel Posters—November 23, 2021 Lot 225: Leslie Ragan, Rockefeller Center New York / New York Central Lines, circa 1936. Estimate $6,000 to $9,000. American West: California National Parks, New Mexico & Arizona Lots 170…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Contemporary Art—At Auction November 16, 2021 November 3, 2021 Contemporary Art Upcoming Highlights: Contemporary Art—At Auction November 16, 2021 Abstract Expressionism and Mid-Century Abstract Art European Abstract Art, Art Brut and Abstract Figuratism Geometric Art, Post-Painterly Abstraction and Early Pop Art Pop Art and Contemporary Figurative Art British Contemporary…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Contemporary Artists’ Books: The Property of a Texas Collector—At Auction November 9, 2021 October 28, 2021 Books & Manuscripts Upcoming Highlights: Contemporary Artists’ Books: The Property of a Texas Collector—At Auction November 9, 2021 An astonishing single owner sale of Contemporary Artists’ Books, many known only via institutional copies, includes an abundance of deluxe issues produced in impossibly small limitations often out of the…
Read more about The Value of First Edition Dust Jackets October 26, 2021 19th & 20th Century Literature The Value of First Edition Dust Jackets Trolling ne plus ultra Gatsby in the Original Jacket Even those with but a passing familiarity with the rare book trade will likely be aware of the fabulous sums obtained…
Read more about Fire and the Wizards of Light: Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison October 25, 2021 Autographs Fire and the Wizards of Light: Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison Among the great American inventors, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla are remarkable for having both collaborated and competed while developing some of the most transformative modern technologies. Although Edison is…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Old Master Through Modern Prints—At Auction November 2, 2021 October 20, 2021 Prints & Drawings Upcoming Highlights: Old Master Through Modern Prints—At Auction November 2, 2021 The Tuesday, November 2 Old Master Through Modern Prints sale will be offered as part of a two-day auction event with Master Drawings on the block Wednesday, November 3. Old…
Read more about Pop Culture Phenoms: Autographs from Some of the 20th Century’s Most Famous Figures October 20, 2021 Uncategorized Pop Culture Phenoms: Autographs from Some of the 20th Century’s Most Famous Figures Over the years Swann has offered a number of signatures from figures who have captured the zeitgeist of their era, dominating the headlines and defining the taste and interests for…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Master Drawings—At Auction November 3, 2021 October 13, 2021 Prints & Drawings Upcoming Highlights: Master Drawings—At Auction November 3, 2021 Featuring a private collection of Italian old master drawings, as well as English, French, German, Dutch and Northern school drawings from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries.
Read more about Fall 2021 African American Art Auction Brings $5M October 12, 2021 African American Art Fall 2021 African American Art Auction Brings $5M “We are beyond thrilled with the results of the October 7, 2021 auction, which was a historic sale for Swann Galleries: our first auction to hammer over $4 million. Great…
Read more about Spotlight on Stephen Shore’s Color Photography October 11, 2021 Photographs & Photobooks Spotlight on Stephen Shore’s Color Photography Stephen Shore’s extensive career has been defined by a quest to discover everyday America through its vernacular architecture and landscape. Ambitious, Shore rose to prominence at a young age. At…
Read more about Devon Eastland on Librarian George Parker Winship October 11, 2021 Books & Manuscripts Devon Eastland on Librarian George Parker Winship When I was an undergraduate, I only knew George Parker Winship’s name because of the series of lectures delivered in his honor at the Houghton Library. The topic of one…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Fine Books & Autographs—At Auction October 28, 2021 October 7, 2021 Books & Manuscripts Upcoming Highlights: Fine Books & Autographs—At Auction October 28, 2021 Including autographs by Kurt Cobain, Pancho Villa, Mark Twain, as well as pristine first editions featuring Virginia Woolf and others; fine art books featuring Robert Indiana and Gustav Klimt.
Read more about The Book of Mormon Earns Record at $112k in Fall 2021 Americana Auction October 6, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana The Book of Mormon Earns Record at $112k in Fall 2021 Americana Auction American Revolution material brings strong results, alongside Latin Americana The fall 2021 offering of Printed & Manuscript Americana was held on Thursday, September 30 delivering remarkable results across the board.…
Read more about Artist Profile: Belkis Ayón September 27, 2021 African American Art Artist Profile: Belkis Ayón 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…
Read more about Elizabeth Catlett & the Art of Stone Carving September 27, 2021 African American Art Elizabeth Catlett & the Art of Stone Carving “Stone imposes a certain discipline which cannot be ignored.” The October 7, 2021 African American Art auction includes two impressive carved sculptures by Elizabeth Catlett which bookend her half-century practice…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Fine Photographs—At Auction October 21, 2021 September 27, 2021 Photographs & Photobooks Upcoming Highlights: Fine Photographs—At Auction October 21, 2021 Our Fine Photographs auction features rare and important vintage works, including items from the Collection of Aron M. Mathieu, founder of Modern Photography magazine.
Read more about Women & the Civil War September 24, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana Women & the Civil War Men did the bulk of the fighting in the Civil War, but women were involved on every level—from managing family farms and businesses in the absence of their soldier husbands,…
Read more about Virginia Zabriskie Collection Opens the Fall 2021 Season at Swann September 23, 2021 Photographs & Photobooks Virginia Zabriskie Collection Opens the Fall 2021 Season at Swann We opened our fall 2021 season with the single-owner sale of The Virginia Zabriskie Collection on Tuesday, September 21. The success of the auction was the result of a multi-department…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Early Printed Books—At Auction October 14, 2021 September 22, 2021 Books & Manuscripts Upcoming Highlights: Early Printed Books—At Auction October 14, 2021 This October’s Early Printed Books sale featuring travel, medicine, and science offers another chance for rare book buyers to travel through time and around the world to shop for historically and culturally significant works and objects. We are pleased to present a curated selection of Renaissance and early modern printing, including scholarly editions of Greek and Latin classics; manuscripts and early printing; a curated selection of medical works; and books that document global contributions to our shared culture.
Read more about Dada & Surrealism from the Virginia Zabriskie Collection September 8, 2021 Photographs & Photobooks Dada & Surrealism from the Virginia Zabriskie Collection 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…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: African American Art—At Auction October 7, 2021 August 30, 2021 African American Art Upcoming Highlights: African American Art—At Auction October 7, 2021 Including highlights by Hale Woodruff, Elizabeth Catlett, Richard Mayhew, Sam Gilliam, Howardena Pindell, Noah Purifoy, Simone Leigh, Emma Amos, and others.
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana—At Auction September 30, 2021 August 30, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana—At Auction September 30, 2021 Manuscript diaries, broadsides, archives and more, ranging from the Revolutionary era, frontier expeditions, colonial Latin America, and more.
Read more about This Season’s Successes: Winter-Spring 2021 Auctions in Review August 26, 2021 Swann This Season’s Successes: Winter-Spring 2021 Auctions in Review 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.
Read more about LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Auction Bests Itself for the Third Year in a Row August 23, 2021 LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Auction Bests Itself for the Third Year in a Row Auction Brings $1.3M and Records Abound New Record for Tom of Finland, Shattering Top Price Set by Swann Last Year “Swann’s third annual auction of LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture &…
Read more about Highlights From The Virginia Zabriskie Collection August 20, 2021 American Art Highlights From The Virginia Zabriskie Collection We are honored to offer the collection of Virginia Zabriskie in a special single-owner auction that opens our 2021 fall season. Virginia Zabriskie’s personal collection was built during a pioneering career spanning more than five decades, marked by audacity and innovation in a field that was seldom encouraging to professional women.
Read more about Artist Profile: Tom of Finland August 13, 2021 LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Artist Profile: Tom of Finland Tom of Finland, perhaps the most iconic creator of erotic gay art, understood his role as a liberator. His images of men unleashing their deepest fantasies have provided an outlet for…
Read more about Webinar August 16: A Conversation with the Memphis Brooks Museum August 10, 2021 LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History Webinar August 16: A Conversation with the Memphis Brooks Museum Monday, August 16 at 6PM ET Swann President Nicholas D. Lowry will be in conversation with Memphis Brooks Museum curator Dr. Rosamund Garrett and photographer Mark Seliger. They will discuss…
Read more about Nicholas D. Lowry Shares His Favorite “Unofficial” Vintage Olympic Posters July 21, 2021 Vintage Posters Nicholas D. Lowry Shares His Favorite “Unofficial” Vintage Olympic Posters In the world of Olympic posters there are a handful of important milestones: The first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens in 1896, a fitting tribute to the ancient…