February 21, 2020Lauren KristinIllustration Art The Rise of Illustration Art in the Public Eye Read more about The Rise of Illustration Art in the Public Eye Swann Galleries’ Illustration Art Director Christine von der Linn weighs in on the burgeoning category: Illustration art has the ability to reach people in a way that many genres do… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Still Reading It for the Cartoons: Changing Production Methods & Public Perception in Illustration November 19, 2019 Illustration Art Still Reading It for the Cartoons: Changing Production Methods & Public Perception in Illustration Cartoonists Emily Flake & Benjamin Schwartz in Conversation We got together on December 5, 2019 to hear from cartoonists Emily Flake and Benjamin Schwartz, both regular contributors to The New… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Cataloguing History: Why we hold specialized auctions. June 10, 2019 Auctions 101 Cataloguing History: Why we hold specialized auctions. Auctions offer a moment where the sometimes-incalculable significance of an object is quantified. The price is reached through collaboration: specialists, consignors, the market, and finally, bidders convene in the room,… Share Facebook Twitter
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… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about #5WomenArtists: Christine von der Linn’s List March 28, 2018 Books & Manuscripts #5WomenArtists: Christine von der Linn’s List As part of Women’s History Month, we’re offering a week of #5WomenArtists, inspired by the National Museum of Women in the Arts. We asked some women of Swann to tell us… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Records & Results: Illustration Art December 19, 2017 Illustration Art Records & Results: Illustration Art The grand finale of our 2017 roster was a successful auction of Illustration Art on December 14. Highlights of the sale ranged from large-scale oil paintings to sentimental children’s characters… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Ingeborg Willy & the Making of Snow White December 7, 2017 Illustration Art Ingeborg Willy & the Making of Snow White A scrapbook, presumably kept by an inker at Walt Disney Studios, reveals much about the production of Snow White. The album is a highlight in our December 14 auction of Illustration… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Records & Results: Art, Press & Illustrated Books June 14, 2017 Books & Manuscripts Records & Results: Art, Press & Illustrated Books Our June 13 auction of Art, Press & Illustrated Books offered a spectrum of books that doubled as objets d’art, with records for important twentieth-century works celebrating art and typography.… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Records & Results: Illustration Art Draws A Crowd September 30, 2016 Illustration Art Records & Results: Illustration Art Draws A Crowd Our September 29, 2016 auction of Illustration Art offered works by Ludwig Bemelmans, Howard Chandler Christy and Man Ray to a room packed with eager buyers. The sale broke five auction records and covered… Share Facebook Twitter
December 22, 2014 Illustration Art Who Kissed Santa Claus? The Cover Behind It All Our Illustration Art auction on January 22 features a section of works by cartoonists and cover artists from The New Yorker magazine. As the January catalogue is sent off to… Share Facebook Twitter
September 4, 2014 Illustration Art 75 years of Madeline In honor of the 75th anniversary of everyone’s favorite French schoolgirl, our Art Books specialist Christine von der Linn submitted this post. A featured item in our inaugural Illustration auction… Share Facebook Twitter
August 21, 2014 Art Press & Illustrated Books The Danish Girl and the Erotic Art of Gerda Wegener A plate from Allatini’s Sur Talons Rouges, illustrated by Gerda Wegener. Many of the biggest names in Hollywood have been rumored to be part of an upcoming film based on… Share Facebook Twitter
Read more about Warm Weather Specialists: What Our Experts Are Up to in Summer 2014 August 19, 2014 Swann Warm Weather Specialists: What Our Experts Are Up to in Summer 2014 Our auction rooms may be dark until September, but that doesn’t mean our specialists aren’t busy these days. In addition to combing through consignments and cataloguing lots for our Fall… Share Facebook Twitter
May 5, 2014 Vintage Posters Where He Crosses Over: Edward Gorey Posters & Postcards Lot 268: Edward Gorey’s poster for New York City Ballet is a classic image– and not necessarily one that brings to mind Gorey. “I didn’t know GOREY did that… Share Facebook Twitter
April 24, 2014 Art Press & Illustrated Books Collectors on Collecting: Sam Speigel on Collecting Edward Gorey On May 7, Swann will auction The Edward Gorey Collection of Samuel Speigel, and the catalogue for that sale opens with this charming recollection from Speigel himself: Lot 241: The… Share Facebook Twitter
February 11, 2014 Art Press & Illustrated Books The Glory of Gorey: Swann to Offer the Sam Speigel Collection On May 7, Swann will auction one of the top private collections of Edward Gorey books, illustrations and ephemera as part of our Art, Press & Illustrated Books sale. Below,… Share Facebook Twitter
January 22, 2014 Illustration Art Of Provenance & Peter Rabbit Christine von der Linn, Swann’s Art & Illustrated Books expert, shares some insight into this week’s 20th Century Illustration auction: One of the challenges of putting together a sale of… Share Facebook Twitter
January 6, 2014 Illustration Art Judging a Book by Its Cover Our January 23 Illustration sale boasts an abundance of original book-cover art, many examples of which became iconic images of the literary works they graced and, in some cases, defined… Share Facebook Twitter
October 23, 2013 Art Press & Illustrated Books Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel: Kindergarten Designer Among the visually appealing works in tomorrow’s auction of Art, Press & Illustrated Books is a fascinating pedagogical workbook in the manner of Kindergarten founder Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel’s early… Share Facebook Twitter
May 7, 2013 Art Press & Illustrated Books El Lissitzky: A Russian Avant-Garde Landmark Work Among the highlights of Swann’s Art, Press & Illustrated Books auction on Thursday is Mikhail Larionov’s copy of Vladimir Mayakovsky’s Dlia Golosa [For the Voice], which was designed by Lazar Markovich (aka El Lissitzky). It is featured… Share Facebook Twitter
May 3, 2013 Art Press & Illustrated Books Christine von der Linn on Irving Oaklander Thursday, May 9th, our sale of Art, Press & Illustrated Books will feature the inventory of the late Irving Oaklander, known to all who sought rare books about graphic design,… Share Facebook Twitter
October 5, 2012 Art Press & Illustrated Books Gustav Klimt’s 150th Birthday and Legacy The prescient motto that has graced the front of the Secession Building in Vienna since 1897–“To every age its art, to art its freedom”–speaks to the legacy of Gustav Klimt… Share Facebook Twitter
May 11, 2012 19th & 20th Century Literature Remembering Maurice Sendak This week we said goodbye to beloved illustrator and author Maurice Sendak. He holds a special place in the hearts of our Swann family as told through an anecdote relating… Share Facebook Twitter
January 26, 2012 Art Press & Illustrated Books The Most Famous Private Press Book The Kelmscott Chaucer is considered the finest Arts and Crafts era publication, and the pinnacle of private press publishing Perhaps the most famous of the private presses, the Kelmscott Press at Hammersmith… Share Facebook Twitter
November 9, 2011 19th & 20th Century Literature Yesterday’s Top Lots: Art, Press & Illustrated Books / 19th & 20th Century Literature Yesterday’s auction of Art, Press & Illustrated Books / 19th & 20thCentury Literature saw activity in all sections of the catalogue, and for every successfully sold item, there were numerous… Share Facebook Twitter
November 3, 2011 19th & 20th Century Literature Penises and Pompadours: The Erotic Art of Franz von Bayros Thanks to John D. Larson of Swann’s books department for this eye-opening post! Decadent! Erotic! Phantasmagoric! Fin-de-siècle grotesqueries! Gents and ladies disporting themselves, occasionally with a zealous attention… Share Facebook Twitter
October 10, 2011 19th & 20th Century Literature Catch-22 Turns 50 October 10 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Joseph Heller’s satirical anti-war novel Catch-22. There’s been much news coverage, and various related events are planned, including an October… Share Facebook Twitter
May 13, 2011 19th & 20th Century Literature Top Lots: Art, Press, & Illustrated Books and 19th & 20th Century Literature The top lots in yesterday’s Art, Press & Illustrated Books and 19th & 20th Century Literature sales represented each of the categories, indicating a strong selection of material across genres. Jasper… Share Facebook Twitter
May 10, 2011 19th & 20th Century Literature Science Fiction First Editions, It’s Tradition Our May 12 auction of Art, Press & Illustrated Books; and 19th & 20th Century Literature wraps up with a section devoted to science fiction, fantasy and thriller fiction. Most of… Share Facebook Twitter
May 5, 2011 Art Press & Illustrated Books Books Arts or Art Books? Call Them What You Will There is a sign tacked to the cork board of the Art & Illustrated Books Department clipped from a forgotten source years ago that states: “What’s the difference between artist’s… Share Facebook Twitter
April 29, 2011 Art Press & Illustrated Books Of Books and Brits: Literature at Swann Today, the world crashes the wedding of Will and Kate through the wonders of digital media. And Swann celebrates the mother country in classic, and always collectible, print form. Agnes… Share Facebook Twitter
April 4, 2011 Art Press & Illustrated Books The Four Gospels: One of the Most Important Fine Press Books of the Last Century The Four Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ According to the authorized version of King James I, Illustrated by Eric Gill. One of 12 rare copies on Roman Vellum. Inscribed by… Share Facebook Twitter
March 8, 2011 Art Press & Illustrated Books Edward Gorey’s Posthumous Resurgence Edward Gorey’s career was fittingly designed for a posthumous resurgence. The writer, illustrator, costume and set designer who passed away 10 years ago had an attraction to the dark, mysterious,… Share Facebook Twitter
March 15, 2010 19th & 20th Century Literature The Otto Penzler Collection of British Espionage and Thriller Fiction Ian Fleming, The Man with the Golden Gun, Advance Uncorrected Proof and First Edition, London 1965. Estimate: $600 to 900. AND Ian Fleming, Diamonds are Forever, First Edition, London, 1956.… Share Facebook Twitter
March 17, 2009 Books & Manuscripts Spotlight on Judaica Occurring just a week before the Jewish holiday of Passover, Swann Galleries’ April 2 auction of Fine Books offers significant Judaica works, including desirable early and modern haggadot. Among the… Share Facebook Twitter