James Joyce allegedly proclaimed that Guinness was “the wine of Ireland,” and a 1973 ad for the company featured a reluctant drinker and the tag line “I’ve never tried it…
The Artists of the WPA were on display in our February 4, 2021, auction. The multi-departmental sale was headed by Harold Porcher, the house’s director of Modern and Post-War Art,…
At Auction February 18, 2021 Literary Posters Art Nouveau Bicycles, Automobiles & Aviation Food and Drink Skiing & Winter Sports Travel Fashion & Products Theater, Entertainment & Film Russian, War…
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…
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…
Auction Discoveries: Frank Lemen and Anthony Hansen “With over an over 80% sell-through rate, and with 16 of the top 17 lots selling to collectors, our Thursday, October 15, 2020,…
Nicholas D. Lowry Picks His Top Locomotive Travel Posters Among the earliest European travel posters were produced by the railway companies to sell tickets on their new trains crisscrossing the…
…and what we mean when we say something is “Rare.” Just when you think you have seen it all… I am always amazed when I realize how much more there…
In an era in which armchair traveling has become the new normal, it has never been more engaging to stay at home and travel the world virtually through the glorious designs of historical travel posters.
Swann’s August 27, 2020 Vintage Poster auction includes a selection of historical trolley cards, broadsides and original bathing suits from the famous Sutro Baths overlooking the Pacific Ocean. These items…
During a summer of containment and people staying close to their personal bubbles, this auction’s assortment of beach and summer resort posters (see below) seems especially poignant, as for many…
Donna Kaz is a writer, director, choreographer and activist, who has led the theatre troupe, “Guerrilla Girls on Tour” for the past two decades. A Guerrilla Girl herself, who has written a memoir entitled UN/MASKED, Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl On Tour, Lauren Goldberg, our vintage poster specialist, asked Donna to unmask yet again and share some insight into her own experiences with the movement.
The June 18, 202 Graphic Design auction featured an array of rare and influential examples of photography in posters. While the popularization of photography and the tradition of printing posters…
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.
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…
Lauren Goldberg, our vintage poster specialist, takes us through the ins-and-outs of what to look for when collecting an exhibition poster.
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.
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.
Our sale of Vintage Posters on Thursday, February 13 was the house’s most successful February poster offering in over 10 years.
Our winter-spring 2020 sale of Vintage Posters on February 13 is set to feature an extensive archive of over 350 posters by Puerto Rico’s most renowned painters, designers and graphic artists. Here Nicholas D. Lowry, the house’s vintage posters director, touches on the featured artists and the movement that brought these works to light.
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.
Ski poster enthusiasts always find something appealing in our winter Vintage Posters auction, but most exciting is the section of rare and important Art Nouveau posters
“After twenty years of conducting auctions of Rare and Important Travel Posters it was validating to see the sale turn in the best results in the last three years,” noted Nicholas D. Lowry, Swann Galleries’ President and Director of Vintage Posters. The Thursday, November 14 auction saw a 75% sell-through rate, an “industry-leading number as no other poster sales come close to this level of success,” continued Lowry, as well as bringing ten new records for artists and images alike.
Swann Galleries’ November 14 sale of Rare & Important Travel Posters marks the house’s twentieth annual sale in the category. Here we share Nicholas D. Lowry’s entry to the catalogue, in which he reflects on the history and impact of the sale.
Our twentieth anniversary Travel Poster sale can be summed up in one powerful, romantic word: trains. An extraordinary private collection of American railway posters, the best we’ve ever seen, includes a virtual history from the early years of the New York Central Lines to the Streamliner trains of the 1930s and 40s.
Our summer sale of Vintage Posters on August 7, 2019, was a lively event with active bidding across all platforms bringing six record prices and a number of posters to market for the first time.
So you’ve fallen in love with a vintage poster. What’s next? Here are some of the most important things to consider when looking to buy a vintage poster.
Featured in our August 7 sale of Vintage Posters is a rare selection of four advertisements for the first Bolivarian Games by Sergio Trujillo Magnenat. The images are characterized by…
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…
A season of firsts. The 2019 spring auction season at Swann Galleries delivered an impressive range of sales, rife with auction premiers and record prices. We started our season off…
Charles Loupot Reaches New Heights in Swann Graphic Design Auction debuts for Tadanori Yokoo Our auction of Graphic Design on May 23 offered a selection of vintage posters by…
At Auction August 7 Complete Catalogue For over 15 years our summer Vintage Posters auction has brought wonderful examples of beach and summer resort posters to market. The tradition continues…
At Auction May 23 Complete Catalogue Graphic Design continues to be a favorite among our poster auctions, with work by important designers like A.M. Cassandre, Charles Loupot, Ludwig Hohlwein, Jean…
Alphonse Mucha & Art Nouveau Lead Vintage Posters at Swann Our February 7 sale of Vintage Posters saw numerous firsts and records. Nicholas D. Lowry, Swann President, noted: “Lively bidding for ski posters and Art Nouveau images set…
At the end of the nineteenth century, the craze of poster collecting was at an all-time high. As a result, publishers formed subscription services in limited runs so that the…
A year of records, debuts and rediscovered works. As we reflect on 2018, we look back at an excellent year of auctions. In April we held our highest-grossing African-American Fine Art…
At Auction October 25 Complete Catalogue A breathtaking presentation of rare and unexpectedly beautiful images from around the world, this sale features numerous destinations and locales. Trains, planes, automobiles…
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…
We may be at the height of the craft beer renaissance, but the history of alcoholic beverages goes way back. Humans have proven, over millennia, that we like a good…
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…
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.…
At Auction August 1 Complete Catalogue Wine & Liquor Advertisements Numerous posters by Leonetto Cappiello and Luciano Achille Mauzan, including rarely-seen works, capture the essence of their styles.…
Our auction of Graphic Design on May 3 offered vintage posters that defined the styles of the twentieth century. In a highly-curated selection of just over 250 lots, the highlight…
In the dawn of the motor car, most automobile purveyors relied on a “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality, touting ever-evolving technology and styles to drive car sales. A selection…
At Auction May 3 Graphic Design This auction celebrates innovation in the field of graphic design, with a colorful offering of vintage posters, along with a coterie of fine…
New findings in our March 29 auction of Printed & Manuscript African-Americana clarify information behind iconic portraits of Black Panthers co-founder Huey P. Newton. Ensconced in a wicker…
Vintage Posters Featuring Highlights from the Gail Chisholm Collection offered premier examples of advertising and propaganda from around the world, and broke several auction records. Nicholas D. Lowry, President of…
One of many highlights in our March 1 sale of Vintage Posters is a run of posters designed by Erik Nitsche in a series of campaigns for General Dynamics. Nitsche’s…
Nearly a quarter of our March 1 auction of Vintage Posters was devoted to highlights from the collection of renowned poster dealer and aficionado Gail Chisholm. The sale opened with more…
![Grace Meschery-McCormack shares about two copies of Fernando de Rojas’s ‘La Célestine,’ including a limited edition copy illustrated by Pablo Picasso.
At auction April 22. Learn more about the works at the link in our bio.
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