August 22, 2022Kelsie Jankowski19th & 20th Century Literature This Season’s Successes: Winter-Spring 2022 Auctions in Review Read more about 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 Making A Modern American Art: 1920 – 1930 August 22, 2022 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Making A Modern American Art: 1920 – 1930 The 1920s were a time of prosperity in America. World War I had ended and the pessimism of the 1910s turned into optimism for modern life. American artists continued to focus on developing their artistic voices and both institutions and galleries were formed to bring their work to a broader audience.
Read more about Making A Modern American Art: 1910 – 1920 July 7, 2022 American Art Making A Modern American Art: 1910 – 1920 The 1913 Armory Show Inspired by time spent in Europe, around 1910, Arthur Dove became the first American artist to paint an abstract painting. At this time, abstract art was…
Read more about A Look at Edward Hopper’s Print Market June 27, 2022 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings A Look at Edward Hopper’s Print Market James Macry in our prints and drawings department examines two works that exemplify the market for Edward Hopper prints Edward Hopper first began printmaking in 1915, following the encouragement and…
Read more about 19th & 20th Century Art: March 10, 2022 Auction Highlights February 7, 2022 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings 19th & 20th Century Art: March 10, 2022 Auction Highlights Highlights include a recently discovered self portrait by the Italian modernist Giacomo Balla, Il disperato; Autoritratto, oil on canvas, circa 1898-1900, as well as a large drawing by Gustav Klimt…
Read more about Swann Opens 2022 with Whirlwind Auction Celebrating the Artists of the WPA February 1, 2022 The Artists of the WPA Swann Opens 2022 with Whirlwind Auction Celebrating the Artists of the WPA The house opened 2022 with The Artists of the WPA on Thursday, January 27. The follow-up to an inaugural 2021 sale proved the staying power of this special offering with…
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 Claude Monet & George William Thornley: A Printmaking Partnership February 22, 2021 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Claude Monet & George William Thornley: A Printmaking Partnership At the end of the nineteenth century, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro rediscovered lithography as a medium both to recreate their artistic conceptions on paper and simultaneously achieve widespread distribution…
Read more about 2020: Year in Review December 23, 2020 Swann 2020: Year in Review 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…
Read more about Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations Leads July 30, 2020 Fine Books & Manuscripts Sale at $125k August 10, 2020 Fine Books & Manuscripts Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations Leads July 30, 2020 Fine Books & Manuscripts Sale at $125k Our sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts on Thursday, July 30, 2020 boasted high prices across categories with early printed books leading the sale, two records being recorded for literature, and autograph material from world leaders garnering attention.
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 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.
Read more about Rare Martin Lewis Etching Debuts in Fall 2019 Prints & Drawings Sale September 26, 2019 Prints & Drawings Rare Martin Lewis Etching Debuts in Fall 2019 Prints & Drawings Sale Swann Galleries opened the fall 2019 season with an exceptional sale of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings featuring an auction debut for a rare early print by Martin Lewis and a record price for a print by Edvard Munch.
Read more about Collecting American Prints: Property from Betty & Douglas Duffy, of the Bethesda Art Gallery September 4, 2019 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Collecting American Prints: Property from Betty & Douglas Duffy, of the Bethesda Art Gallery Swann Galleries’ sale of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings on September 19 features property from Betty and Douglas Duffy, of the Bethesda Art Gallery and highlights American printmakers such as Howard Cook, Thomas Hart Benton, Rockwell Kent and John Sloan.
Read more about Records & Results: 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings March 8, 2019 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Records & Results: 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Ismar Littmann Family Collection Shines in Swann Galleries’ Prints & Drawings Sale Our sale of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings on March 5 earned $2.7M, with property from the Ismar Littmann Family Collection of German Expressionism &…
Read more about The Story of the Ismar Littmann Family Collection February 14, 2019 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings The Story of the Ismar Littmann Family Collection Our March 5 sale of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings will feature Property from the Ismar Littmann Family Collection of German Expressionism and European Avant-Garde. Director of Prints…
Read more about Records & Results: 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings 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…
Read more about Architectural Splendor 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…
Read more about Egon Schiele: A Look at the Artist’s Evolving Self-Image September 22, 2015 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Egon Schiele: A Look at the Artist’s Evolving Self-Image Egon Schiele is celebrated among the Austrian Modern Masters Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka, who are best remembered for their insightful portrayal of the human condition. Schiele’s style was informed…
Read more about Swann FAQ: What Is an Edition? December 1, 2014 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Swann FAQ: What Is an Edition? Among the items that Swann auctions are books, fine art prints, photographs, posters and maps–all of which have their own definition of the word “edition.” When it comes to prints,…
Read more about What Is an After Print? September 5, 2014 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings What Is an After Print? One of the most common questions we get asked at Swann is what it means when a lot is catalogued with the word “after” in parentheses following an artist’s name.…
Read more about White Line: Blanche Lazzell and the Provincetown Printers September 3, 2014 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings White Line: Blanche Lazzell and the Provincetown Printers Swann Galleries’ upcoming September 23 auction featuring American Prints & Drawings includes Blanche Lazzell’s Tulips, color woodcut on Japan paper, 1920, created by the artist in Provincetown, Massachusetts in 1920. Lazzell (1878-1956) was…
Read more about Pablo Picasso’s Linoleum Cuts April 3, 2014 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Pablo Picasso’s Linoleum Cuts Picasso produced more than 150 color linoleum cuts in the 1950s and 60s, but none stood out more for their boldness of execution and sheer artistry than his colorful, semi-abstract portraits…
Read more about Camille Pissarro: Prolific Impressionist Printmaker March 4, 2014 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Camille Pissarro: Prolific Impressionist Printmaker Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) was among the most significant players in the Impressionist movement and co-wrote the manifesto for the Société Anonyme Coopérative des Artistes, Peintres, Sculpteurs et Graveurs. Of the eight exhibitions held…
Read more about From The Kiss to The Scream: Edvard Munch November 1, 2013 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings From The Kiss to The Scream: Edvard Munch Edvard Munch (1863-1944) was a Norwegian Symbolist and Expressionist painter/printmaker who, unlike the Impressionists in their focus on the natural world, looked inward to portray basic human conditions—love, jealousy, anxiety, loneliness, illness and…
Read more about Paul Cézanne: A Lightning Rod for Criticism at the Armory Show October 29, 2013 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Paul Cézanne: A Lightning Rod for Criticism at the Armory Show Amid all of the shock, sensationalism and bewilderment surrounding many of the works in the 1913 Armory Show, much of the harshest criticism was levied at the paintings of Paul Cézanne, though…
Read more about The Armory Show at 100: An Introduction to the Catalogue October 16, 2013 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings The Armory Show at 100: An Introduction to the Catalogue This is the first in a series of posts about Swann’s upcoming November 5 auction titled The Armory Show at 100: America’s Introduction to Modern Art. The following essay by…
Read more about Moholy-Nagy’s Watercolor September 11, 2013 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Moholy-Nagy’s Watercolor Swann will offer a László Moholy-Nagy gouache and watercolor Composition in our 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings auction tomorrow. Moholy-Nagy (1894-1946) was an influential Jewish-Hungarian artist known for…
January 28, 2013 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings The Armory Show at 100: America’s Introduction to Modern Art This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the famed 1913 Armory Show. The seminal show was originally held in the 69th Regiment Armory at Lexington & 25th Street, just across…
Read more about Penises and Pompadours: The Erotic Art of Franz von Bayros November 3, 2011 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Penises and Pompadours: The Erotic Art of Franz von Bayros Decadent! Erotic! Phantasmagoric! Fin-de-siècle grotesqueries! Gents and ladies disporting themselves, occasionally with a zealous attention by attending friends from the animal kingdom! The provocative work of Austrian artist Franz von…
Read more about Atelier 17: Europe and the Early Years October 10, 2011 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Atelier 17: Europe and the Early Years The informal co-operative printmaking workshop that English painter and draftsman Stanley William Hayter opened in 1927 had its modest and unforeseen beginnings at his own dilapidated studio in Paris. In 1933 he moved…
Read more about James A.M. Whistler: Three Print Records Set September 28, 2011 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings James A.M. Whistler: Three Print Records Set Our September 2011 auction of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings set three auction records for prints by important artists. Furthering our position as the leading auction house for…
Read more about Whistler’s ‘Nocturne’: Our Most Expensive Print October 29, 2010 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Whistler’s ‘Nocturne’: Our Most Expensive Print Our October 27 & 28, 2010 two-part print sale, which began with Whistler and His Influence on Wednesday, set records. James A. M. Whistler’s Nocturne became the most expensive Whistler print…
Read more about James A.M. Whistler and Lithography October 25, 2010 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings James A.M. Whistler and Lithography James A. M. Whistler’s work in lithography dates from three distinct periods of his career. His two earliest lithographs, from 1855, were made in the U.S. just prior to his…
Read more about Whistler, London and the Thames October 21, 2010 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Whistler, London and the Thames When James A.M. Whistler moved from Paris to London in May 1859, the city became his adopted home for the rest of his life. The scenery along the Thames was…
Read more about Scenes of the City: Prints, Drawings & Paintings of New York August 23, 2010 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Scenes of the City: Prints, Drawings & Paintings of New York Scenes of the City: Prints, Drawings & Paintings of New York is an important collection of some of the finest and most significant examples of 19th and 20th century New…