Record Sales & Important Collections
Top lots in this department set record prices for several artists, including Feral Benga, cast in 1986, by Richmond Barthé, which sold for $629,000; Elizabeth Catlett’s Head, 1943, for $485,000; Hughie Lee-Smith’s Aftermath, circa 1960, for $365,000, and Benny Andrews’ Time for Church, 1999, which reached $203,000.
Swann pioneered the market for artists such as Sam Gilliam and Barkley Hendricks and leads the market in works by John Biggers, Aaron Douglas, Norman Lewis, Faith Ringgold, Carrie Mae Weems, Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, Beauford Delaney, and Hale Woodruff.
Notable single-owner auctions for the department include the Art Collection of Dr. Maya Angelou, the collections of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, and the Johnson Publishing Company, Swann’s first white glove auction.
