August 11, 2017Swann CommunicationsPhotographs & Photobooks Identifying Types of Photographic Prints Read more about Identifying Types of Photographic Prints Our Photographs & Photobooks department has put together a cheat sheet for identifying some of the more common types of photographs we handle. A cyanotype print is made by… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Swann Summer Reading List 2017 July 13, 2017 Swann Swann Summer Reading List 2017 We spoke to specialists at Swann about their extracurricular activities. Unsurprisingly, their interests are generally aligned with their specialty! We asked them to talk about what they’re reading, and compiled… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Specialists in the Field: The New Museum June 30, 2017 Contemporary Art Specialists in the Field: The New Museum Specialists at Swann keep up with the cultural heartbeat by frequenting museum exhibitions. Over the summer, we’ll be sharing some of their experiences, beginning with Diana Flatto and Jessica Feldman… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Postwar Innovations in Printmaking May 5, 2017 Contemporary Art Postwar Innovations in Printmaking These examples come from our May 11 auction of Contemporary Art. From the initial proliferation of engraving in the fifteenth century to the explosion of lithography in the late 1800s,… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Danny Lyon & New Photojournalism April 7, 2017 Photographs & Photobooks Danny Lyon & New Photojournalism The Photographs & Photobooks department contributed to this post on Danny Lyon’s eponymous portfolio in our April 20 auction of Images & Objects: Photographs & Photobooks. The New Journalism movement… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Portfolios by Chagall and Vuillard at Swann Galleries February 23, 2017 Prints & Drawings Portfolios by Chagall and Vuillard at Swann Galleries This guest post was written by a Prints & Drawings Senior Specialist. Two of the top lots in our March 2 sale of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about A Louise Bourgeois Rediscovery November 2, 2016 Contemporary Art A Louise Bourgeois Rediscovery Lot 33: Louise Bourgeois, Escalier de 63, lithograph, 1939. Estimate $3,000 to $5,000. It’s not often that an unrecorded print turns out to be the real thing, but in Swann… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Spotlight on Highlights: Chiaroscuro Woodcuts October 31, 2016 Prints & Drawings Spotlight on Highlights: Chiaroscuro Woodcuts Some of the most intriguing examples in November 3’s Old Master Through Modern Prints auction are sixteenth-century chiaroscuro woodcuts. We asked our Prints & Drawings department to explain the term: … Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about J. Mortimer Lichtenauer: The Diary of an American Art Student in Paris June 20, 2016 Printed & Manuscript African Americana J. Mortimer Lichtenauer: The Diary of an American Art Student in Paris Every now and then we have an item come in that seems tailor-made for a Swann auction. In Tuesday’s sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana we offer the diary kept by J. Mortimer Lichtenauer,… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Boydell’s Shakespeare: A Meeting of Art & Literature June 13, 2016 Art Press & Illustrated Books Boydell’s Shakespeare: A Meeting of Art & Literature Visual art and literature often share a symbiotic relationship, and tomorrow’s auction of The Esther Salinas Collection of Fine Illustrated & Plate Books features two excellent examples of creative pursuits coming… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about The Esther Salinas Collection: A Touching Tribute June 10, 2016 Art Press & Illustrated Books The Esther Salinas Collection: A Touching Tribute When it comes to private collections hitting the auction block, individual lots are fascinating but it can also be incredibly rewarding to consider the scope of a collection… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Guy C. Wiggins: An Impression of Winter in New York June 8, 2016 American Art Guy C. Wiggins: An Impression of Winter in New York It will be warm and sunny here in New York for our American Art auction tomorrow, but some of the top lots of the sale feature the Big Apple draped… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Notes from the Catalogue: Two Studies by American Artists June 2, 2016 American Art Notes from the Catalogue: Two Studies by American Artists For collectors, a study can be a prized acquisition because it is both a work of art and a source of insight into an artist’s process. Our upcoming auction of… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Politics & Satire: The Etchings of James Gillray May 25, 2016 Maps & Atlases Politics & Satire: The Etchings of James Gillray With the presidential primary election in full swing, we’re all up to our eyeballs in satirical columns and cartoons. In the spirit of the season, we thought we’d look at… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about A Rare Manuscript Map from the Dutch East India Company May 21, 2016 Maps & Atlases A Rare Manuscript Map from the Dutch East India Company With an almost two hundred year history, the Dutch East India Company (known in Dutch as Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC), was the dominate force in European trade and navigation of Asia… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about A Storied Book with a Fine Association: Henry Roth’s “Call It Sleep” May 12, 2016 19th & 20th Century Literature A Storied Book with a Fine Association: Henry Roth’s “Call It Sleep” In the world of book collecting association copies are highly sought after, and our upcoming auction of 19th & 20th Century Literature has some fine examples. One particularly interesting association… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Notes From the Catalogue: Roy Lichtenstein’s “Sunrise” May 11, 2016 Contemporary Art Notes From the Catalogue: Roy Lichtenstein’s “Sunrise” Pop art master Roy Lichtenstein is known for creating works in a number of mediums, including paintings, prints and sculpture. Our upcoming auction of Contemporary Art features multiple works by Lichtenstein,… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Photomontage in Graphic Design May 9, 2016 Vintage Posters Photomontage in Graphic Design Our Vintage Posters department has expanded and renamed their annual Modernist Posters sale. Now called Graphic Design, this auction features posters and ephemera that highlight the shifting trends in imagery and typography… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Two Items Related to Anne Frank Come to Auction at Swann in May May 4, 2016 19th & 20th Century Literature Two Items Related to Anne Frank Come to Auction at Swann in May Through her poignant writing and tragic story, Anne Frank has become a source of inspiration for millions. Two of our upcoming auctions feature items related to Frank, including Anne and Margot’s… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Books Every Book Collector Should Read April 29, 2016 19th & 20th Century Literature Books Every Book Collector Should Read Our upcoming Autographs auction features an uncommon Oscar Wilde manuscript consisting of five and a half pages of his notes for a review in which he pans a book on… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about A Collector’s Vision: Les Nabis, the Belle Époque & Artist Interaction Seen Through A Private Collection April 26, 2016 Prints & Drawings A Collector’s Vision: Les Nabis, the Belle Époque & Artist Interaction Seen Through A Private Collection While most auctions here at Swann are assembled with artworks and items from a host of different consignors, we also regularly handle entire private collections, such as A Collector’s Vision: Works… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Prints About Town: Three Exhibitions and an Auction April 22, 2016 Old Master Through Modern Prints Prints About Town: Three Exhibitions and an Auction If you can’t get enough of the material coming up in our two-part auction of Old Master through Modern Prints, featuring A Collector’s Vision: Works on Paper from the Belle Époque… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Notes from the Catalogue: Vernacular Photographs of New York April 13, 2016 Photographs & Photobooks Notes from the Catalogue: Vernacular Photographs of New York Our upcoming auction Images & Objects: Photographs & Photobooks features a compelling section of vernacular photographs; among them are some fascinating images of New York from bygone eras. … Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Into the Aether: An Early Medical Book on Pain Relief April 11, 2016 Early Printed Books Into the Aether: An Early Medical Book on Pain Relief The medical section of our Early Printed, Medical, Scientific & Travel Books auctions always provides an interesting peek into the progression of human understanding of the body, its ailments and… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about All the Rare Books You Could Want April 8, 2016 Early Printed Books All the Rare Books You Could Want It’s a big weekend for rare books in New York. The ABAA’s New York Antiquarian Book Fair opened yesterday, and the preview for our upcoming Early Printed, Medical, Scientific &… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Remembering Inge Hardison April 4, 2016 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Remembering Inge Hardison After the close of our Printed & Manuscript African Americana auction last week, we were saddened to learn about the passing of artist Inge Hardison. A multitalented artist, writer and… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about African-American Artists & Parisian Académies March 30, 2016 African-American Fine Art African-American Artists & Parisian Académies Paris has long been a desired destination and a haven for expatriate and American artists, with prominent schools like the famed École de Beaux-Arts encouraging practitioners from around the world… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Steeped in History: “Homage to Martin Luther King” by Loïs Mailou Jones March 25, 2016 African-American Fine Art Steeped in History: “Homage to Martin Luther King” by Loïs Mailou Jones While the bright colors, stunning imagery and historical importance of a painting are the things we tend to focus on when viewing a work of art, here at Swann we know… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Countdown to Eternity: A Photographer’s Look At Dr. King’s Final Year March 22, 2016 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Countdown to Eternity: A Photographer’s Look At Dr. King’s Final Year New York City-born photographer Benedict Fernandez is know for his documentary photography, which has depicted everything from protest movements to cultural explorations in Puerto Rico, Russia and Japan. Perhaps one… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Reflections on 20 Years of Printed & Manuscript African Americana March 14, 2016 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Reflections on 20 Years of Printed & Manuscript African Americana The following is an excerpt from the introduction written by Swann Galleries’ Printed & Manuscript African Americana Specialist Wyatt Houston Day for his 2016 catalogue–the 20th annual African Americana sale at Swann. The… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about A Tour Through Harlem With E. Simms Campbell and Cab Calloway March 10, 2016 Printed & Manuscript African Americana A Tour Through Harlem With E. Simms Campbell and Cab Calloway It takes more than artistic skill to capture not only the look of a place, but the feel of it. It takes an intimate knowledge, a love, and that’s exactly what… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Records & Results: Illustration Art March 9, 2016 Illustration Art Records & Results: Illustration Art The success of our January 28 auction of Illustration Art displayed a clear rise in interest in this collecting category, prompting our specialists to expand the department and add a second… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Contemporary Art at Swann: Heavy Hitters and Rising Stars February 26, 2016 Contemporary Art Contemporary Art at Swann: Heavy Hitters and Rising Stars When you think about Contemporary Art, a few big names and images immediately come to mind: the iconic pop art of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, the graffiti art of… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about The First Auction of Photographs in the United States February 24, 2016 Photographs & Photobooks The First Auction of Photographs in the United States February 14, 1952 Much has changed over the course of our 75-year history here at Swann Galleries, from new departments to the expansion our exhibition space. One small but… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Specialist Selections: American Prints February 22, 2016 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Specialist Selections: American Prints The catalogue for our upcoming March 8 auction of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings features an extensive selection of American works on paper. Over the past two decades, Swann has… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about A Storied Photograph: Ansel Adams’ “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico” February 18, 2016 Photographs & Photobooks A Storied Photograph: Ansel Adams’ “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico” Our upcoming auction Art & Storytelling: Photographs & Photobooks taps into the dual nature of the photographic medium as a vehicle for both fine art and narrative. The top lot of the… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Material & Process: Elaine O’Neil Shares the History of Her Cyanotype Quilt February 17, 2016 Photographs & Photobooks Material & Process: Elaine O’Neil Shares the History of Her Cyanotype Quilt The following post was written by the artist, Elaine O’Neil, whose cyanotype quilt “Rather See Than Be One,” is featured in our upcoming auction, Art & Storytelling: Photographs & Photobooks. The… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Prints with Paws: Cats in 19th-Century French Art February 17, 2016 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Prints with Paws: Cats in 19th-Century French Art Before Grumpy Cat and Lil Bub took the internet by storm, another group of cats rose to fame in the French art world. Based on their prints, nineteenth century artists… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Nigel Freeman Sees Beauford Delaney in Paris February 16, 2016 African-American Fine Art Nigel Freeman Sees Beauford Delaney in Paris On February 18 Nigel Freeman will be speaking in a roundtable discussion on multiculturalism at Columbia Global Center’s Paris location. The occasion? A fantastic exhibition of paintings by American-born artist… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Drama on Paper: Early American Theatrical Posters February 10, 2016 Vintage Posters Drama on Paper: Early American Theatrical Posters Posters were designed to grab attention with a combination bright colors, bold typography and iconic imagery, but when it comes to posters advertising early American theater productions, the more dramatic… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Wilson A. Bentley: Photographing the Fleeting Snowflake February 10, 2016 Photographs & Photobooks Wilson A. Bentley: Photographing the Fleeting Snowflake The media has long painted a picture of the obsessed sculptor or painter, but the idea that photographers may share this intense personal and passionate focus is less familiar to… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Wilson A. Bentley: Photographing the Fleeting Snowflake February 9, 2016 Photographs & Photobooks Wilson A. Bentley: Photographing the Fleeting Snowflake The media has long painted a picture of the obsessed sculptor or painter, but the idea that photographers may share this intense personal and passionate focus is less familiar to… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about The Arctic Collection of Ray Edinger February 3, 2016 Printed & Manuscript Americana The Arctic Collection of Ray Edinger Our upcoming Printed & Manuscript Americana auction features materials from The Arctic Collection of Ray Edinger. Mr. Edinger wrote the piece below, outlining his collection from its inception. Lot… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about A Tale of Captivity and Daring Escape: Jeanette DeCamp Sweet and the Dakota War of 1862 February 2, 2016 Printed & Manuscript Americana A Tale of Captivity and Daring Escape: Jeanette DeCamp Sweet and the Dakota War of 1862 In August of 1862 Jeanette DeCamp Sweet, a young mother who had settled in Minnesota the year before with her husband, was taken prisoner during the Dakota War, also known… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Art & Intrigue: A Work By Revolutionary War Spy John André February 1, 2016 Printed & Manuscript Americana Art & Intrigue: A Work By Revolutionary War Spy John André Everyone loves a good spy thriller, and in the case of British Army officer Major John André, it seems everyone loved a spy. Our upcoming auction of Printed & Manuscript… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Art & Intrigue: A Work By Revolutionary War Spy John André January 29, 2016 Printed & Manuscript Americana Art & Intrigue: A Work By Revolutionary War Spy John André Everyone loves a good spy thriller, and in the case of British Army officer Major John André, it seems everyone loved a spy. Our upcoming auction of Printed & Manuscript… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about A Look at Original Cover Art From The New Yorker January 26, 2016 Illustration Art A Look at Original Cover Art From The New Yorker Whether they are humorous or heartfelt, simple or striking, the cover image chosen for each issue of The New Yorker bears the heavy burden; the cover must not only grab… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Specialist Selections: Nicholas Lowry’s Favorite American Ski Posters January 25, 2016 Vintage Posters Specialist Selections: Nicholas Lowry’s Favorite American Ski Posters As a skier (in all fairness I was an avid skier in my youth and now fondly recall those carefree winter excursions, as I sit behind my desk with my… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Records & Results: African-American Fine Art January 19, 2016 African-American Fine Art Records & Results: African-American Fine Art The December 15 sale of African-American Fine Art ended the 2015 season here at Swann with record-smashing success. Lot 49: Norman Lewis, Untitled, oil on canvas, circa 1958. Sold December… Share Facebook Twitter