Swann Galleries News -

December 5, 2018|Kelsie Jankowski|Maps & Atlases

Across the Continent: a Currier & Ives print with ties to Thomas W. Streeter

Among the many unique and impressive rarities in our December 13 Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books sale is Across the Continent, 1868, by Currier & Ives. Significant for…

November 27, 2018 | Illustration art

Rockwell Kent & The League of American Writers

“To All Fascists:” One of the most remarkable pieces in our December 6 Illustration Art auction is a calligraphed broadside with a statement signed by members of The League of…

November 9, 2018 | Auctions 101

Optimize Your Swann Client Account

A Swann Client Account enables you to Track Lots, create Keyword Alerts and place order bids. Use this guide to get the most out of these features. Don’t have a…

November 5, 2018 | 19th & 20th Century Literature

“The Transcendental Club”

“The Transcendental Club,” as it would come to be known, was founded in Massachusetts, in September of 1836, by prominent New England intellectuals. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the primary practitioner of the…

November 2, 2018 | Contemporary Art

Louise Bourgeois: An Artist’s Portfolio

He Disappeared Into Complete Silence A highlight in our November 15 Contemporary Art sale is one of 19 known complete copies of Louise Bourgeois’ He Disappeared Into Complete Silence, 1947.…

October 26, 2018 | Autographs

“Love – PFC. Kurt Vonnegut, Infantry”

The highlight among literary autographs in our November 8 Autographs sale is a group of letters from Kurt Vonnegut, an American writer best known for his science-fiction infused anti-war novel Slaughterhouse-Five, to…

October 25, 2018 | Illustration art

A Look Inside the Catalogue: Illustration Art

At Auction December 6 Complete Catalogue From Children’s Literature An original color drawing by H.A. Rey showing Curious George, from the first appearance of the children’s icon, leads…

October 22, 2018 | Old Master Through Modern Prints

On Picasso: Printmaker

Swann Galleries’ November 1 sale of Old Master Through Modern Prints contains nearly 500 lots, including an impressive selection of works by Pablo Picasso. Among these, two prints stand out: Le…

October 18, 2018 | Contemporary Art

A Look Inside the Catalogue: Contemporary Art

At Auction November 15 Complete Catalogue Original Works This sale is notable for its strong selection of original works on paper, including an abstract gouache by Sonia Delaunay, as…

October 17, 2018 | Vintage Posters

Set Sail on the Open Seas with a Fleet of Ocean Liner Posters

Featured in our October 25 Rare & Important Travel Posters sale are works promoting ocean liners from the golden age of travel. Cunard Line It was…

October 10, 2018 | Autographs

A Look Inside the Catalogue: Autographs

At Auction November 8 Complete Catalogue Artists, Authors & Musicians Some artists have adorned their everyday communications with illustrations or artworks, and the sale includes two interesting examples: a…

October 9, 2018 | Photographs & Photobooks

“Make me the most beautiful set of books you’ve ever seen.”

The North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis An ambitious photographer’s happenstance meeting on the side of a mountain sets into motion a chain of events that spurs an…

October 3, 2018 | Books

A Look Inside the Catalogue: 19th & 20th Century Literature

At Auction November 13 Complete Catalogue Highlights A first edition of Jack London’s The Sea-Wolf, 1904, debuts at auction in its exceedingly rare dust jacket (known by rumor,…

October 2, 2018 | Printed & Manuscript Americana

Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana

Americana Continues to Out-Perform at Swann Galleries Our September 27 auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana was the highest-earning Americana auction in the last six years and brought $1.2M.…

September 28, 2018 | Early Printed Books

Science, Rocketry & Space Flight

The study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world has always been a curiosity, and the publishing of theories, studies and findings has, in the last…

September 26, 2018 | Auctions 101

Shipping it Yourself? A Few Tips

Guidelines for Packing & Shipping You’ve spoken to a specialist, received preliminary estimates, and are ready to send your material to Swann for placement in an auction. Thinking about…

September 25, 2018 | 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings

Records & Results: 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings

Architectural Splendor Shines at Swann Galleries The fall season opened on September 20 with a marathon sale of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings earning more than $2.4…

September 19, 2018 | African-American Fine Art

A Contemporary Collection Highlights African-American Women

Selections from the Dr. Robert H. Derden Collection of Contemporary Art are featured in our October 4 African-American Fine Art sale, a private collection located in Chicago, Illinois. The works…

September 15, 2018 | Prints & Drawings

A Look Inside the Catalogue: Old Master Through Modern Prints

At Auction November 1 Complete Catalogue Old Masters An exceptional selection of Old Master prints by visionaries such as Rembrandt van Rijn and Albrecht Dürer is led by the…

September 13, 2018 | Printed & Manuscript Americana

The Harold Holzer Collection of Lincolniana

The collection of noted Abraham Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer explores America’s fascination with depictions of the 16th president. Highlighting the breadth of representations of Lincoln, and coming to auction September…

September 11, 2018 | 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings

Architectural Splendor

From the Chrysler building to the Flatiron, and the numerous bridges that connect its many boroughs, New York’s architecture has come to stand as a symbol for the city. Our September…

August 31, 2018 | Vintage Posters

A Look Inside the Catalogue: Rare & Important Travel Posters

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…

August 24, 2018 | Books

Specialists in the Field: The Type Speaks

The Vignelli Center for Design Studies & The Cary Graphic Arts Collection at RIT Swann Specialist Christine von der Linn reports to us from Rochester, New York, where she toured renowned…

August 13, 2018 | Photographs & Photobooks

A Look Inside the Catalogue: Photographs & Photobooks

At Auction October 18 Complete Catalogue Can cameras capture ghosts? Find out on October 16, from 6 to 8 pm, when writer Allison C. Meier will be at Swann…

August 11, 2018 | Books

A Look Inside the Catalogue: Early Printed, Medical, Scientific & Travel Books

Including Philippine Imprints At Auction October 16 Complete Catalogue The material in this characteristically diverse sale ranges from incunabula to early twentieth-century works on rocketry and space flight. …

August 10, 2018 | African-American Fine Art

A Look Inside the Catalogue: African-American Fine Art

At Auction October 4 Complete Catalogue Highlights from our upcoming selection of fine art by African-American masters. Elizabeth Catlett Works by figurative greats include the earliest sculpture…

August 7, 2018 | Vintage Posters

Records & Results: Vintage Posters

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…

July 30, 2018 | Vintage Posters

Keep It Under Your Stetson

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…

July 30, 2018 | Prints & Drawings

A Look Inside the Catalogue: 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings

At Auction September 20 Complete Catalogue Twentieth Century The twentieth-century section boasts a number of exquisite original works by modern masters such as Georges Braque and Lyonel Feininger. Marc Chagall’s luminous…

July 27, 2018 | Vintage Posters

Thirsty? Wine & Liquor Posters May Satisfy

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…

July 23, 2018 | Printed & Manuscript Americana

A Look Inside the Catalogue: Printed & Manuscript Americana

Featuring The Holzer Collection of Lincolniana At Auction September 27 Complete Catalogue Latin Americana Latin Americana will feature Juan de la Anunciación’s 1577 Sermonario en lengua mexicana and other…

July 18, 2018 | Contemporary Art

Specialists in the Field: Rockaway! 2018

Lauren Kristin at Narcissus Garden by Yayoi Kusama Communications Digital Content Coordinator Lauren Kristin shares their most recent venture to Rockaway! 2018. Rockaway! is an ongoing public…

July 16, 2018 | Autographs

Specialists in the Field: The Magic of Handwriting

Marco Tomaschett at the Morgan Library For our first Specialists in the Field segment of 2018, Autographs Specialist Marco Tomaschett discusses his recent visit to The Morgan Library’s newest exhibition, The Magic…

July 10, 2018 | Vintage Posters

The Hot Bid Interviews Nicho on Cassandre’s “Best Way”

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…

June 28, 2018 | Swann

Specialists in the Field: Summer Reading List 2018

Our Specialists in the Field summer series is back for 2018! As before we’ll start with our reading list. Here’s what some of us are cracking into in the off-season.…

June 25, 2018 | Swann

2017-18 Year in Review

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.…

June 25, 2018 | Autographs

Records & Results: Revolutionary & Presidential Americana from the Collection of William Wheeler IIII

On June 21, our auction of Revolutionary & Presidential Americana from the Collection of William Wheeler III saw a 91% sell-through rate for important autographs, letters and documents from some of…

June 18, 2018 | American Art

Records & Results: American Art

Our auction of American Art on June 14 offered original works by bastions of the category including William Glackens and John Singer Sargent, as well as artists whose work has…

June 12, 2018 | Maps & Atlases

Records & Results: Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books

Our auction of Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books on June 7 brought to market landmarks from the history of cartography and ornithology. The nearly 400 lots…

June 11, 2018 | Autographs

William Wheeler III: The Quest for American History

William Wheeler III’s collection of Revolutionary and Presidential Americana, coming to auction June 21, began on his 21st birthday with the gift of his three-times-great-uncle’s appointment as an Ensign to…

June 8, 2018 | American Art

The Many Illustrious Circles of Pavel Tchelitchew

Multi-talented artists can appear in multiple departments at Swann. Our June 14 auction of American Art will feature highlights by Pavel Tchelitchew, whose work also appears in our auctions of Illustration…

June 7, 2018 | Illustration art

Records & Results: Illustration Art

Secrets & Set Designs: Illustration Art Breaks Records The June 5 sale of Illustration Art at Swann Galleries broke long-standing records and brought new artists to auction for the first…

June 4, 2018 | Swann

Pride Month: Some Artists I Love

This post is by Keavy Handley-Byrne of our Photographs & Photobooks department. To celebrate Pride Month, I wanted to share a couple of queer artists’ work in recognition of…

June 1, 2018 | Maps & Atlases

The Original Beaver Map & Its Legacy

Tucked into the top left corner of an eighteenth-century map in our June 7 auction of Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books is a vignette that at…

May 25, 2018 | Illustration art

Interview with Rick Meyerowitz: “A Literate, Civilized & Mature Fellow”

Artist and illustrator Rick Meyerowitz was kind enough to talk to us in advance of our June 5 sale of Illustration Art, which will include highlights from his personal collection,…

May 24, 2018 | Contemporary Art

Records & Results: Contemporary Art

Abstract Attractions We offered nearly 400 works by some of the twentieth century’s greatest innovators in our May 22 auction of Contemporary Art. Abstract works ruled the day, with…

May 17, 2018 | Books

Records & Results: 19th & 20th Century Literature

Science fiction ruled on May 15 at our auction of 19th & 20th Century Literature. Selections from the Estate of Stanley Simon, featuring 84 rare and first editions of cornerstones…

May 16, 2018 | Contemporary Art

Contemporary in 3D

Our May 22 auction of Contemporary Art features a selection of recent sculpture and multiples by some of the world’s most famous living artists. Here are a few of our favorites.…

May 11, 2018 | Vintage Posters

A Look Inside the Catalogue: Vintage Posters

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.…

May 11, 2018 | Prints & Drawings

Records & Results: Old Master Through Modern Prints

With highlights spanning six centuries, our auction of Old Master Through Modern Prints on May 8 offered works by the greatest innovators in the field. The sale totaled more than…

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