January 20, 2021Swann NewsAmerican Art The Artists of the WPA: The Promise of a New Deal Read more about The Artists of the WPA: The Promise of a New Deal On February 4, 2021, Swann will offer the auction: The Artists of the WPA. The multi-departmental sale will feature paintings, prints, photographs, posters, books and related ephemera by artists whose…
Read more about The Artists of the WPA: Auction Highlights February 2021 January 11, 2021 Swann The Artists of the WPA: Auction Highlights February 2021 We’re pleased to present this curated auction of WPA-era artwork, photographs, and related material. In the aftermath of the Great Depression, president Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and its related agencies represented an unprecedented investment in art and artists, setting the scene for the twentieth century’s art movements, and establishing the careers of diverse creatives, including women, Black artists, photographers, and muralists.
Read more about 2020: Year in Review December 23, 2020 19th & 20th Century Literature 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 Fall 2020 Edition of “The Trumpet” September 23, 2020 Swann Fall 2020 Edition of “The Trumpet” Against all apparent odds, the last six turbulent months have shown promising developments within the auction world. Sales are robust and interest is brisk Swann President & Principal Auctioneer Nicholas…
Read more about Looking Ahead to Fall 2020 September 4, 2020 Swann Looking Ahead to Fall 2020 Since the middle of March it has been hard to look ahead. Outside of the universal mantra of “I can’t wait for everything to return to normal,” far too little thought has been given to what’s next. Now, at the summer’s end, it’s time to take a deep breath, and with guarded optimism dare to look ahead at what lies in store for us this fall. Or whatever season it is.
Read more about Swann in Profile: Deborah Rogal July 10, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Swann in Profile: Deborah Rogal After 15 years with Swann, Deborah Rogal is stepping into the role of Director of our Photographs & Photobooks department. As she transitions into her new position we asked a few questions about her time with the house: how things have changed over the years, the photography market, and what’s to come.
Read more about Records & Results: June 2020 Fine Art Sales July 7, 2020 African American Art Records & Results: June 2020 Fine Art Sales A Full Month of Fine Art Sales at Swann Delivers Record Prices Swann offered four sales of Fine Art this June, each one proving audiences are undeterred by the remote…
Read more about Marching Together June 5, 2020 Swann Marching Together A Note From Swann Galleries President Nicholas D. Lowry: Swann is unequivocally against racism, institutionalized racism, racism and discrimination in all forms, and we believe that black lives matter. We are champions of dignity and respect and advocates for peace.
Read more about What Swann is Reading Right Now March 30, 2020 Swann What Swann is Reading Right Now Finding yourself at a loss for what to read while social distancing? Take a look at what our specialists and staff are reading right now!
Read more about What Swann is Watching from Home March 19, 2020 Swann What Swann is Watching from Home Finding yourself at a loss for what to watch while social distancing? Take a look at what our specialists and staff are streaming right now!
Read more about Swann in Profile: Corey Serrant March 17, 2020 African American Art Swann in Profile: Corey Serrant Corey Serrant is the newest member of our African-American fine art department – in fact, he started the week of our white-glove sale of the Johnson Publishing Company collection! We…
Read more about Actions We’re Taking Regarding COVID-19 March 13, 2020 Swann Actions We’re Taking Regarding COVID-19 Check this page for the most current updates. What to Know on Auction Day Last Update: August 21, 2020 These auctions will be held live and conducted remotely by Swann…
Read more about Swann in Profile: Harold Porcher March 5, 2020 Modern & Post-War Art Swann in Profile: Harold Porcher In the latest installment in our Swann in Profile series, we welcome Harold Porcher as Director of our new Modern & Post-War Art department. Read below to learn more about Porcher, Modern and post-war art, and best collecting practices.
Read more about Swann in Profile: Devon Eastland January 15, 2020 Books & Manuscripts Swann in Profile: Devon Eastland With the 2020 auction season on the horizon, we sat down with the newest addition to our books and manuscripts department, Devon Eastland, senior specialist for early printed books, to discuss all things books and material culture.
Read more about 2010-19: The Decade in Review January 13, 2020 Swann 2010-19: The Decade in Review 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.
Read more about Welcoming the New Decade: A Letter from Swann Galleries’ President, Nicholas D. Lowry January 13, 2020 Swann Welcoming the New Decade: A Letter from Swann Galleries’ President, Nicholas D. Lowry As a new decade dawns, I am reminded that in order to move ahead Swann must continuously look into the historical rearview mirror and select the best material from bygone…
Read more about Collecting the Papers of Women Artists, Critics, and Dealers: A Conversation With the Archives of American Art November 1, 2019 Contemporary Art Collecting the Papers of Women Artists, Critics, and Dealers: A Conversation With the Archives of American Art Join us on November 19 for the third in a series of events highlighting The Archives of American Art.
Read more about The History of Books & Manuscripts at Swann Galleries October 7, 2019 Auctions 101 The History of Books & Manuscripts at Swann Galleries Bibliophiles of every denomination—Americana, autographs, art books, archives, atlases, ephemera, literature, maps—can find their niche at Swann Galleries. Originally founded in New York as a book auction house, we hold regular specialized sales devoted to books, printed material and manuscripts.
Read more about Artist Profile: Charles Addams September 4, 2019 Illustration Art Artist Profile: Charles Addams With a proclivity to the grim, grisly and gruesome, Charles Addams walked through life illuminating its incongruous funny bones and sore spots. Here we discuss his contributions to The New Yorker and his famous kooky family.
Read more about Artist Profile: Norman Lewis August 30, 2019 African American Art Artist Profile: Norman Lewis Norman Lewis was an Abstract Expressionist painter associated with The Irascibles who developed as a painter as the New York Modern Art scene grew. Here we discuss Lewis’s rise from the margins to art market center.
Read more about Swann in Profile: Lauren Goldberg July 22, 2019 Swann Swann in Profile: Lauren Goldberg 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…
Read more about Telling Queer Stories: The Challenges of Unearthing a History July 17, 2019 Pride Telling Queer Stories: The Challenges of Unearthing a History What are the inherent challenges in telling a history that is still being unearthed, and what can media and material objects add to that story? Against the backdrop of the…
Read more about 2019 Spring Season in Review July 1, 2019 Swann 2019 Spring Season in Review 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…
Read more about Swann Summer Reading List 2019 July 1, 2019 Swann Swann Summer Reading List 2019 As an auction house that has specialized in rare and antiquarian books for nearly 80 years, it is unsurprising that our team loves reading. What better circumstance to do so…
Read more about Records & Results: The Pride Sale June 27, 2019 Pride Records & Results: The Pride Sale Historic Pride Sale at Swann Brings Market Premiers and Auction Records The Pride Sale on Thursday, June 20 offered a curated selection of LGBTQ+ art, photography, literature, autographs…
Read more about Notes from the Catalogue: Hank O’Neal & Allen Ginsberg June 17, 2019 Pride Notes from the Catalogue: Hank O’Neal & Allen Ginsberg The Gay Day Archive Today, at least a million spectators line the Pride parade route along Fifth Avenue each year. But in its earliest days, the celebration was a much smaller event…
Read more about Notes from the Catalogue: Candy Darling June 12, 2019 Pride Notes from the Catalogue: Candy Darling “Every woman who wants to be beautiful should be beautiful” Among the many items up for auction in our June 20 Pride Sale, is an archive of personal effects of Candy Darling an enduring trans icon, American actress…
Read more about An Introduction to the Catalogue by Eric Marcus May 29, 2019 Pride An Introduction to the Catalogue by Eric Marcus The Pride Sale An Exploration & Celebration of the Art, Influence & History of the LGBTQ+ Community A few weeks ago we invited Eric Marcus, the founder and host of…
Read more about The Pride Sale May 3, 2019 Pride The Pride Sale An Exploration & Celebration of the Art, Influence & History of the LGBTQ+ Community Our first Pride Sale, being held in the same month as WorldPride and the 50th anniversary…
Read more about Swann Galleries’ Guide to Rare Book Week 2019 in NYC February 26, 2019 Books & Manuscripts Swann Galleries’ Guide to Rare Book Week 2019 in NYC Rare Book Week kicks off March 5 in NYC. We gathered a selection of our favorite events happening throughout the week, as well as several not-to-be-missed exhibitions. See you there!…
Read more about 2018: Year in Review December 21, 2018 Swann 2018: Year in Review 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…
Read more about How to Consign to an Auction December 14, 2018 Auctions 101 How to Consign to an Auction Thinking about selling at auction? Allow us to be of assistance. Swann is a third-generation family business and the oldest specialty auction house in New York City, known for our…
Read more about Optimize Your Swann Client Account 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…
Read more about Shipping it Yourself? A Few Tips 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…
Read more about Specialists in the Field: Rockaway! 2018 July 18, 2018 Contemporary Art Specialists in the Field: Rockaway! 2018 Wren Krisztin at Narcissus Garden by Yayoi Kusama Communications Digital Content Coordinator Wren Krisztin shares their most recent venture to Rockaway! 2018. Rockaway! is an ongoing public arts project…
Read more about Swann Summer Reading List 2018 June 28, 2018 Swann Swann Summer Reading List 2018 Our Summer Reading List is back for 2018! Here’s what some of us are cracking into in the off-season. Nicholas D. Lowry, President & Principal Auctioneer Noah Charney and Ingrid…
Read more about 2017-18 Year in Review 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.…
Read more about Pride Month: Some Artists I Love 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 their…
Read more about 2017: Year in Review December 28, 2017 Swann 2017: Year in Review In our diamond anniversary year, we offered a star-studded roster of 30 auctions, setting nearly 100 records and introducing countless items to the market, including a previously unknown photograph of Harriet…
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…
Read more about Records & Results: Spring 2017 June 16, 2017 Swann Records & Results: Spring 2017 The spring 2017 season at Swann Galleries marked the 75th anniversary of our first auction. On March 27, 1942, Benjamin Swann held an auction dedicated to rare and antiquarian books.…
Read more about Swann President Nicholas D. Lowry on the Recession May 21, 2009 Swann Swann President Nicholas D. Lowry on the Recession Nicholas D. Lowry, Swann President and Current President of the International Auctioneers consortium, recently shared his thoughts on the impact of the economic downturn on the auction business.