November 13, 2024Kelsie JankowskiSwann Swann in Profile: Lisa Crescenzo Read more about Swann in Profile: Lisa Crescenzo 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…
Read more about Records & Results: African American Art — October 3, 2024 October 8, 2024 African American Art Records & Results: African American Art — October 3, 2024 African American Art Sets Six Artist Records The Thursday, October 3, 2024, sale of African American Art at Swann brought $3M and saw top prices for artists, with six records…
Read more about Artist Profile: Nelson Stevens September 30, 2024 African American Art Artist Profile: Nelson Stevens I create from the rhythmic color-rappin’-lifestyle of Black folk. I believe that art can breathe life, and life is what we are about. — Nelson Stevens Early Life Born in…
Read more about Works from the Estate of Dr. Constance E. Clayton September 23, 2024 African American Art Works from the Estate of Dr. Constance E. Clayton Swann Galleries is honored to be presenting a group of artworks in our October 3 auction from the estate of Dr. Constance E. Clayton (1933-2022). Lots 28-48 includes a group…
Read more about Suzanne Jackson & Bill Russell: There is Something Between Us September 23, 2024 African American Art Suzanne Jackson & Bill Russell: There is Something Between Us Suzanne Jackson’s painting There is Something Between Us brings together two legendary figures from two very different worlds. The arenas of professional sports and contemporary art have little in common…
Read more about This Season’s Successes: Winter-Spring 2024 Auctions in Review July 15, 2024 19th & 20th Century Literature This Season’s Successes: Winter-Spring 2024 Auctions in Review In the 2024 Winter-Spring season, Swann Galleries continued to provide high-quality auctions of unusual and rare material. Several single-owner collections were featured, including Illustration Art: Featuring Highlights from the Collection…
Read more about Records & Results: African American Art — April 4, 2024 April 11, 2024 African American Art Records & Results: African American Art — April 4, 2024 Swann Galleries’ April 4, 2024 sale of African American Art brought crowds back to the sale room with a selection of standout modernist works alongside a contemporary selection sold to…
Read more about The Art of the Harlem Renaissance, in Print and Plaster March 25, 2024 African American Art The Art of the Harlem Renaissance, in Print and Plaster The landmark exhibition The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism at the Met here in New York has brought deserved new attention to the visual art achievements of Harlem Renaissance. Many…
Read more about Auction Highlights: African American Art — April 4, 2024 March 6, 2024 African American Art Auction Highlights: African American Art — April 4, 2024 This season’s African American Art auction features an array of Harlem Renaissance pieces, post-war figurative art, and contemporary art.
Read more about Records & Results: African American Art — October 19, 2023 October 24, 2023 African American Art Records & Results: African American Art — October 19, 2023 Swann Galleries’ October 19 sale of African American Art proved consistent among new contemporary artists and auction house favorites. Regarding the auction, department director Nigel Freeman noted, “I’m very happy…
Read more about Unsung Heroes: Black Ceramicists October 18, 2023 African American Art Unsung Heroes: Black Ceramicists Here we take a look at five ceramic artists we’ve brought to the market over the past few years whose practices vary in subjectivity, aesthetic manipulation, and objective thought.
Read more about First Impressions: Elizabeth Catlett & Charles White at the Taller de Gráfica Popular October 3, 2023 African American Art First Impressions: Elizabeth Catlett & Charles White at the Taller de Gráfica Popular In 1946, in what would become the last year of their brief marriage, Elizabeth Catlett and Charles White shared a career-changing experience living and working in Mexico City. They had…
Read more about Auction Highlights: African American Art — October 19, 2023 September 14, 2023 African American Art Auction Highlights: African American Art — October 19, 2023 The October 19, 2023, sale of African American Art will feature exceptional modern and contemporary works of abstract and figurative art. The top lot in the auction is Moon Madness,…
Read more about Records & Results: Spring 2023 Sale of Printed & Manuscript African Americana April 3, 2023 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Records & Results: Spring 2023 Sale of Printed & Manuscript African Americana The March 2023 sale of Printed & Manuscript African Americana brings $1.3M making it the highest-grossing sale for the category and the third-largest sale for Swann’s books and manuscripts department.
Read more about Rick Stattler’s Auction Selections for Spring 2023 March 29, 2023 Books & Manuscripts Rick Stattler’s Auction Selections for Spring 2023 Spring has just about sprung, and Swann Galleries’ resident Americana specialist, and director of the house’s books and manuscripts department, is sharing a selection of lots from the 2023 auction schedule that will put you in the spirit for the season.
Read more about African American Art: April 6, 2023 Auction Highlights March 10, 2023 African American Art African American Art: April 6, 2023 Auction Highlights Our April 6 African American Art auction features an exciting range of scarce and significant art from the Harlem Renaissance to the contemporary. We are thrilled to offer an outstanding…
Read more about 2022: Year in Review January 3, 2023 19th & 20th Century Literature 2022: Year in Review 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…
Read more about Records & Results: Modern & Post-War Art Featuring Alma Thomas & the Washington Scene — December 2022 December 13, 2022 Modern & Post-War Art Records & Results: Modern & Post-War Art Featuring Alma Thomas & the Washington Scene — December 2022 Swann Galleries kicked the final month of 2022 off with a sale of Modern & Post-War Art featuring Alma Thomas & the Washington Scene on December 1 to great fanfare.…
Read more about Artist Profile: Alma Thomas & the Washington Scene November 28, 2022 African American Art Artist Profile: Alma Thomas & the Washington Scene Alma Thomas: Early Life & Career Born in Columbus, Georgia, in 1891, Alma Thomas was the eldest of four daughters in a family immersed in art and culture. The Thomas…
Read more about Records & Results: October 2022 African American Art Auction October 10, 2022 African American Art Records & Results: October 2022 African American Art Auction Swann Galleries’ October 6, 2022 sale of African American Art delivered $3.7M with auction debuts and records for artists in the top 15 lots of the auction.
Read more about African American Art—Works to Watch in the Fall 2022 Sale October 3, 2022 African American Art African American Art—Works to Watch in the Fall 2022 Sale Director Nigel Freeman shares his top eight lots to watch in the October 8, 2022 sale. Jacob Lawrence’s Westchester Graduation Ball, 1951 In June 1951, Westchester African American community leaders,…
Read more about This Season’s Successes: Winter-Spring 2022 Auctions in Review August 22, 2022 19th & 20th Century Literature This Season’s Successes: Winter-Spring 2022 Auctions in Review 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.
Read more about Black Abstract Artists: Exploring Innovative Techniques May 31, 2022 African American Art Black Abstract Artists: Exploring Innovative Techniques Abstract Artists From Alma Thomas to Jack Whitten Here we explore Black artists who have expanded abstract techniques that showcase unique aesthetics while examining current events, visually composing perceptive senses…
Read more about Records & Results: Spring 2022 Auction of African American Art April 5, 2022 African American Art Records & Results: Spring 2022 Auction of African American Art The spring 2022 offering of African American Art closed out the March auctions at Swann with an exceptional marathon sale bringing $3.6M and seeing an 89% sell-through rate with 214 of the 241 lots on offer finding buyers.
Read more about Collectors on Collecting: A Conversation with Bernard I. Lumpkin of “Young, Gifted and Black” April 4, 2022 African American Art Collectors on Collecting: A Conversation with Bernard I. Lumpkin of “Young, Gifted and Black” On Monday, March 28, ahead of our spring 2022 sale of African American Art, department director Nigel Freeman sat down with collector Bernard I. Lumpkin for a conversation on the growing legacy of his family collection.
Read more about Artist Profile: Hughie Lee-Smith March 23, 2022 African American Art Artist Profile: Hughie Lee-Smith “I cannot begin to project the meaning of my work in specific terms, for [my] paintings, at their best, are multi-faceted visual complexes whose many aspects are pregnant with as…
Read more about Artist Profile: Elizabeth Catlett March 16, 2022 African American Art Artist Profile: Elizabeth Catlett I Am a Black Woman: Elizabeth Catlett & Representation in Art Elizabeth Catlett’s landmark contributions to twentieth-century art begin in the 1940s with a new representation of African American women.…
Read more about Happening March 28 — Collectors on Collecting: A Conversation with Bernard I. Lumpkin of “Young, Gifted and Black” March 14, 2022 Events Happening March 28 — Collectors on Collecting: A Conversation with Bernard I. Lumpkin of “Young, Gifted and Black” Join Us Monday, March 28, 2022 at 7:00PM ET Join Swann Director of African American Art Nigel Freeman, for a discussion on the growing legacy of The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection…
Read more about African American Art: March 31, 2022 Auction Highlights February 28, 2022 African American Art African American Art: March 31, 2022 Auction Highlights Our spring auction of African American Art features many scarce and significant postwar and contemporary artworks. The sale’s top lot is a large 1948 painting by Norman Lewis—Lewis’s striking organic…
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 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 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 First Sale Dedicated to the Accomplishments of Women at Swann Exceeds High Estimate July 20, 2021 Focus On Women First Sale Dedicated to the Accomplishments of Women at Swann Exceeds High Estimate Early Printed Book, Archives, Vernacular and Fine Art Photography, Among other Material, Draws Interest Among Collectors The house’s inaugural Focus on Women sale on Thursday, July 15, 2021 brought $333,893…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Focus on Women — At Auction July 15, 2021 June 28, 2021 Focus On Women Upcoming Highlights: Focus on Women — At Auction July 15, 2021 What You Need to Know on Auction Day This auction will be held live and conducted remotely. There will not be bidding in the room, though we accept order bids,…
Read more about 13 Auction Records in Spring 2021 Sale of African American Art April 26, 2021 African American Art 13 Auction Records in Spring 2021 Sale of African American Art Auction Brings $3.9 Million – Second-Highest Grossing Sale in Department Thirteen-Year History Our spring offering of African American Art on April 22, 2021 was the second highest-grossing sale in the…
Read more about Artists Working in Mixed-Media & Assemblage April 19, 2021 African American Art Artists Working in Mixed-Media & Assemblage Howardena Pindell, Betye Saar, Vanessa German, Bisa Butler, and Dindga McCannon are assemblage artists that apply found items and fabrics that previously held different uses or significance.
Read more about Bohemian Brothers: Beauford and Joseph Delaney April 19, 2021 African American Art Bohemian Brothers: Beauford and Joseph Delaney The Delaney brothers became well-known painters in the downtown New York art scene in the 1930s and 40s—while each followed their own distinct artistic path. Sibling artists both finding success in the New York art world is a scarce but not unheard of occurrence, yet there are very few African American visual artist siblings known today, and no other pair quite like Beauford and Joseph Delaney.
Read more about Play Ball!: The Unlikely Tradition of Baseball Ephemera at Swann April 1, 2021 Swann Play Ball!: The Unlikely Tradition of Baseball Ephemera at Swann 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…
Read more about Cataloguing History: Why We Hold Specialized Auctions June 10, 2019 Auctions 101 Cataloguing History: Why We Hold Specialized Auctions Auctions offer a moment where the sometimes-incalculable significance of an object is quantified. The price is reached through collaboration: specialists, consignors, the market, and finally, bidders convene in the room,…