June 5, 2020Swann NewsSwann Marching Together Read more about Marching Together 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.
Read more about The Making of a Portrait: Michael Halsband’s Photograph of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat June 5, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks The Making of a Portrait: Michael Halsband’s Photograph of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat 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.…
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 Collecting Photographs by African-American Women June 1, 2020 African American Art Collecting Photographs by African-American Women Swann Auction Galleries’s June 4, 2020 sale of African American Fine Art features five lots from contemporary women photographers who use the lens to document, critique and challenge their societies and their institutions. Here Corey Serrant takes us through the artists and their work.
Read more about The Elegant Sculptures of Richmond Barthé May 27, 2020 African American Art The Elegant Sculptures of Richmond Barthé Three fascinating sculptures by Richmond Barthé feature in our June 4 sale of African-American Fine Art. Each embody his interests in the 1930s, themes that would continue to define his later body of work. They demonstrate the range of a young artist who was coming into his own, embarking on a career in New York, gaining critical and commercial successes. Newly arrived from his debut in Chicago, and soon a sensation in Harlem, Barthé was one of the first African-American artists to develop a commercial career in New York.
Read more about Artist Profile: Ernie Barnes May 26, 2020 African American Art Artist Profile: Ernie Barnes 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.
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 Nigel Freeman on the Legacy of Emma Amos, 1937-2020 May 22, 2020 African American Art Nigel Freeman on the Legacy of Emma Amos, 1937-2020 We are sad to hear the news yesterday of Emma Amos’s passing. Emma Amos was a painter, printmaker, weaver and educator—a great artist and innovator who helped broaden greatly American art in the late twentieth century, challenging inequalities in both art and society with a bold figurative message. I would like to remember her life and work as best we can—through the artworks we have handled here at Swann as they introduced me to her many facets as an artist.
Read more about Swann Ushers in a New Era of Live Online Sales with Printed & Manuscript African Americana May 20, 2020 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Swann Ushers in a New Era of Live Online Sales with Printed & Manuscript African Americana Our Thursday, May 7, 2020 sale of Printed & Manuscript African Americana was held live online and was conducted remotely. “This was a strong auction regardless of the circumstances. The…
Read more about Mexican Photography: Graciela Iturbide, Flor Garduño & the Influence of Manuel Álvarez Bravo May 19, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Mexican Photography: Graciela Iturbide, Flor Garduño & the Influence of Manuel Álvarez Bravo The Whitney Museum of American Art’s exhibition Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art posits Mexico’s valuable artistic legacy. José Clemente Orozo, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros, towering artistic…
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 A Brief History of the Mixografia Printing Process May 14, 2020 Prints & Drawings A Brief History of the Mixografia Printing Process Sarah McMillan, a cataloguer for Swann, takes us through a brief history of Mixografia, Rufino Tamayo and the lasting impact of the two.
Read more about Introduction to Bookbinding: Folding & Sewing May 5, 2020 Books & Manuscripts Introduction to Bookbinding: Folding & Sewing As a bibliophile expands their collection, they gain a feel for auction house and bookseller’s catalogues, which often include terminology that may seem arcane. However, every character in a complex catalogue entry is used to describe the object being sold. For early printed books, some of the most essential things a specialist must note are the size of the book, its collation, and its condition. In order to understand how a book is described, some knowledge of bookbinding fundamentals is helpful. Here, Devon Eastland, our senior specialist for early printed books, dives into how a book is sewn.
Read more about Old Master Prints & Drawings from the Collection of Matthew Rutenberg May 5, 2020 Prints & Drawings Old Master Prints & Drawings from the Collection of Matthew Rutenberg 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…
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 Beyond the Bestiary: Fantastic Beasts and Figures of Myth in Old Master—and Modern—Prints April 24, 2020 Old Master Through Modern Prints Beyond the Bestiary: Fantastic Beasts and Figures of Myth in Old Master—and Modern—Prints Medieval bestiaries were illustrated catalogues of creatures both real and imagined, detailing physical descriptions, origins, and symbolism of each beast that identified the vices and virtues of society. Prolific in the art of the Old Masters, like Albrecht Dürer, these beasts and the symbolism behind them have survived and evolved through the centuries into Modern and Contemporary Art in western culture.
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 A New Muse: Robert Mapplethorpe and Lisa Lyon April 16, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks A New Muse: Robert Mapplethorpe and Lisa Lyon 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.
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 A Brief History of AfriCOBRA April 14, 2020 African American Art A Brief History of AfriCOBRA The AfriCOBRA movement was borne from the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. The collective was founded in 1968 by Chicago based artists: Jeff Donaldson, Wadsworth Jarrell, Jae Jarrell, Barbara…
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 Why do old books use F’s instead of S’s? April 9, 2020 Early Printed Books Why do old books use F’s instead of S’s? Or, WTſ? It’s a common source of confusion: “I have this book, and it’s really old, and all of the s’s are f’s, so I know it’s really old. It’s called Paradife Loft, by John Milton.”
Read more about Illustrator Profile: William Pène du Bois April 9, 2020 Illustration Art Illustrator Profile: William Pène du Bois 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…
Read more about Cultural Cross-Currents: The Indian Space Painters April 8, 2020 Modern & Post-War Art Cultural Cross-Currents: The Indian Space Painters The Indian Space Painters may be the modern artists most closely associated with Native American art. In Haida and Tlingit art, these American modernists found anthropomorphic interlocking subject matter that lent itself to the Surrealist abstraction they were already emulating in their own paintings.
Read more about What You Should Know About Collecting Exhibition Posters April 8, 2020 Vintage Posters What You Should Know About Collecting Exhibition Posters Lauren Goldberg, our vintage poster specialist, takes us through the ins-and-outs of what to look for when collecting an exhibition poster.
Read more about Tadanori Yokoo: Pop Visionary April 6, 2020 Vintage Posters Tadanori Yokoo: Pop Visionary 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.
Read more about Etched in History: Printmakers of the Federal Art Project April 2, 2020 The Artists of the WPA Etched in History: Printmakers of the Federal Art Project As jobless Americans eventually found work with Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Works Progress Administration (WPA), George Biddle, an artist and childhood friend of the president, pushed for significant government…
Read more about Nigel Freeman on the Legacy of David C. Driskell, 1931-2020 April 2, 2020 African American Art Nigel Freeman on the Legacy of David C. Driskell, 1931-2020 We are greatly saddened to hear the news of David Driskell’s passing yesterday with the email announcement from the David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland. An incredibly influential figure in the history of African-American art, Driskell was a leading curator, collector, historian, painter, printmaker and writer.
Read more about WPA Posters: Favorites from a Vintage Posters Specialist April 2, 2020 The Artists of the WPA WPA Posters: Favorites from a Vintage Posters Specialist In addition to the many murals, sculptures, paintings and photos commissioned by the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s and forties, graphic artists designed hundreds upon hundreds of posters for the agency, of which about two million copies were printed and only a fraction survived.
April 1, 2020 Uncategorized Pen, Pencil & A Bottle of Ink: Al Hirschfeld Seen Through Six Drawings Welcome! Our speakers tonight are David Leopold, Creative Director of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation, and Christine von der Linn, Director of Illustration Art at Swann Auction Galleries.
Read more about Beyond Migrant Mother: Five FSA Photographers to Know April 1, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Beyond Migrant Mother: Five FSA Photographers to Know 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…
Read more about The Social Document: Dorothea Lange’s ‘Migrant Mother’ April 1, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks The Social Document: Dorothea Lange’s ‘Migrant Mother’ Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother is widely recognized as the most popular social documentary photograph of all time. During the course of her 40-year career, Lange’s style as a photographer proposed…
Read more about What Swann is Reading Right Now March 30, 2020 Swann What Swann is Reading Right Now 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!
Read more about Romare Bearden’s Letters to Art Historian Harry B. Henderson, Jr. March 26, 2020 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Romare Bearden’s Letters to Art Historian Harry B. Henderson, Jr. 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.
Read more about Collecting Photos 101: What Is a Photograph Edition? March 25, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Collecting Photos 101: What Is a Photograph Edition? 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…
Read more about Old Diaries Tell the Stories of Overlooked Americans March 23, 2020 Books & Manuscripts Old Diaries Tell the Stories of Overlooked Americans The value of diaries on the market is largely driven by historical content and the quality of the writing. What could your diary be worth?
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 Listen to Tapes of a 1961 Interview with Leaders of the Atlanta Student Movement March 20, 2020 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Listen to Tapes of a 1961 Interview with Leaders of the Atlanta Student Movement On June 8, 1961, a journalist for The Protestant Hour, a long-running and widely syndicated weekly radio program out of Atlanta, sat down with four leaders of the Atlanta Student Movement to discuss their work in nonviolent direct action. Two reel-to-reel tapes were created as a result of the interview.
Read more about What Swann is Watching from Home March 19, 2020 Swann What Swann is Watching from Home 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!
Read more about Swann in Profile: Corey Serrant March 17, 2020 African American Art Swann in Profile: Corey Serrant 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…
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 Modern American & European Printmakers Lead Winter-Spring 2020 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Sale March 9, 2020 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Modern American & European Printmakers Lead Winter-Spring 2020 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Sale Our Thursday, March 5, 2020 sale of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings saw success: “With more internet bidding, particularly via the Swann App, than any previous sale in the 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings category at Swann, with action from across the United States, Europe and Asia, and nearly 20% of buyers new to Swann. The most robust sections of the auction were the American prints and modern European prints and drawings,” noted Todd Weyman, the house’s director of prints and drawings.
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 Swann in Profile: Harold Porcher March 5, 2020 Swann Swann in Profile: Harold Porcher 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.
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 Artist Profile: Edward Weston March 4, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Artist Profile: Edward Weston Edward Weston was a self-taught photographer who migrated to California from the midwest and began his career there as a commercial portrait photographer in Glendale. His early style was characterized by a soft-focus approach that emulated painting and was associated with a school of photography known as Pictorialism. Weston was also a member of Group f/64—a community of artist-photographers who developed a photographic vocabulary and visual style described as California Modernism. Here Daile Kaplan discusses how to identify prints by Edward and his sons Brett and Cole.
Read more about Before O. Henry: William Sydney Porter’s First Professional Commission March 2, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Before O. Henry: William Sydney Porter’s First Professional Commission William Sydney Porter, best known to posterity as the author O. Henry, was raised in North Carolina and moved west to Texas as a young man in 1882. After a stint on a sheep ranch, he settled in Austin, TX, where he worked various odd jobs while exploring his interest in writing and drawing. Our winter-spring 2020 sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana on March 10 is set to offer O. Henry’s first professional commission. Here, Rick Stattler, the house’s Americana specialist, tells the story of the mining memoir that never came to be.
Read more about Edward Steichen’s ‘White Lotus’ Brings Record for the Image in Winter 2020 Sale of Classic & Contemporary Photographs February 27, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Edward Steichen’s ‘White Lotus’ Brings Record for the Image in Winter 2020 Sale of Classic & Contemporary Photographs It was a Who’s Who among American photographers in Classic & Contemporary Photographs on Tuesday, February 25. The auction brought $1M and saw competitive bidding in the room and on the Swann Galleries App.
Read more about Artist Profile: Rockwell Kent February 26, 2020 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Artist Profile: Rockwell Kent Rockwell Kent’s wood engravings and lithographs often convey solitude, spirituality and inner turmoil. Relatable and at the same time, pure fantasy, Kent’s subjects battle the elements as they cling to…
Read more about A Brief History of the Color Woodcut February 26, 2020 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings A Brief History of the Color Woodcut The color woodcut is best known for being one of the most difficult printmaking methods, but artists over the centuries have continually engaged with this medium, innovating new techniques to cut into a raw piece of wood or linoleum, transforming it into an image that inspires.