April 13, 2021Jessica HunterPhotographs & Photobooks Self-Portrait Photography Read more about Self-Portrait Photography A Little Self(ie) Love Whether you love them or hate them, selfies have become a large part of self-representation in contemporary culture. Though the term selfie tends to refer specifically…
Read more about Play Ball!: The Unlikely Tradition of Baseball Ephemera at Swann April 1, 2021 African American Art Play Ball!: The Unlikely Tradition of Baseball Ephemera at Swann With the arrival of baseball’s Opening Day, spring is truly here. Swann does not handle baseball memorabilia in the traditional sense, leaving the encapsulated gem-mint rookie cards and game-worn jerseys to…
Read more about Dorothea Lange, Ed van der Elsken, Peter Hujar & More Shine in March 2021 Sale of Fine Photographs March 15, 2021 Photographs & Photobooks Dorothea Lange, Ed van der Elsken, Peter Hujar & More Shine in March 2021 Sale of Fine Photographs Our March 11, 2021 sale of Fine Photographs saw strong results across the auction with humanist works and portraits drawing interest from collectors. “We were pleased to see strength across…
Read more about Artist Profile: Peter Hujar March 8, 2021 Photographs & Photobooks Artist Profile: Peter Hujar Peter Hujar was a leading figure in the vibrant downtown New York art scene of the 1970s and 80s. He chronicled the unfolding of public LGBTQ+ life from the time…
Read more about 5 Portrait Photographers To Inspire Your Collection March 4, 2021 Photographs & Photobooks 5 Portrait Photographers To Inspire Your Collection Photography is a particularly compelling medium for making portraits. The possibility to render oneself or another in this representational medium is relentlessly appealing, and in any given sale, we see…
Read more about Dorothea Lange & Photography as a Tool for Social Change March 2, 2021 Photographs & Photobooks Dorothea Lange & Photography as a Tool for Social Change Dorothea Lange‘s iconic photographs from her time documenting for the Farm Security Administration, as well as her international travels, resonate through the decades since. Here we provide insight to the…
Read more about First Auction of Artists of the WPA at Swann Establishes Four Records February 9, 2021 American Art First Auction of Artists of the WPA at Swann Establishes Four Records The Artists of the WPA were on display in our February 4, 2021, auction. The multi-departmental sale was headed by Harold Porcher, the house’s director of Modern and Post-War Art,…
Read more about The Artists of the WPA: The Promise of a New Deal January 20, 2021 American Art 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 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 Top Prices for Portfolios in October 2020 Fine Photographs Auction October 27, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Top Prices for Portfolios in October 2020 Fine Photographs Auction “Our market continues to be dynamic and varied. We saw strength in the FSA and other Depression-era photography as well as in other classical material. The bidding was also lively…
Read more about Touring the October 22 Sale of Fine Photographs October 21, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Touring the October 22 Sale of Fine Photographs Our Photographs & Photobooks department takes us on a virtual tour through the October 22 sale of Fine Photographs. Deborah Rogal on The Estate of Evelyne Z. Daitz Related Reading:…
Read more about The Virginia Zabriskie Collection September 14, 2020 American Art The Virginia Zabriskie Collection We are honored to offer the collection of Virginia Zabriskie in a special single-owner auction in 2021. Virginia Zabriskie’s (1927-2019) personal collection was not only manifested in her discerning taste, but during a pioneering career spanning more than five decades marked by audacity and innovation in a field that was not always encouraging to professional women.
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 The Making of a Portrait: Michael Halsband’s Photograph of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat June 5, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks The Making of a Portrait: Michael Halsband’s Photograph of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat Michael Halsband is known for his striking portraits of celebrities, from rock stars to artists, as well as his commercial work for major publications such as Vogue, GQ, and Esquire.…
Read more about Collecting Photographs by African-American Women June 1, 2020 African American Art Collecting Photographs by African-American Women Swann Auction Galleries’s June 4, 2020 sale of African American Fine Art features five lots from contemporary women photographers who use the lens to document, critique and challenge their societies and their institutions. Here Corey Serrant takes us through the artists and their work.
Read more about Mexican Photography: Graciela Iturbide, Flor Garduño & the Influence of Manuel Álvarez Bravo May 19, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Mexican Photography: Graciela Iturbide, Flor Garduño & the Influence of Manuel Álvarez Bravo The Whitney Museum of American Art’s exhibition Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art posits Mexico’s valuable artistic legacy. José Clemente Orozo, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros, towering artistic…
Read more about A New Muse: Robert Mapplethorpe and Lisa Lyon April 16, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks A New Muse: Robert Mapplethorpe and Lisa Lyon Robert Mapplethorpe met Lisa Lyon, the first World Women’s BodyBuilding Champion, at a party in SoHo in 1979 where her black rubber outfit caught Mapplethorpe’s eye.
Read more about Beyond Migrant Mother: Five FSA Photographers to Know April 1, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Beyond Migrant Mother: Five FSA Photographers to Know While Dorothea Lange—and her portrait of Florence Thompson, Migrant Mother—has become one of the most well-known photographers to come out of the Great Depression and the Farm Security Administration’s photography…
Read more about Collecting Photos 101: What Is a Photograph Edition? March 25, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Collecting Photos 101: What Is a Photograph Edition? With photography’s inherent ability to be duplicated, edition size can be a major focus and concern for collectors. While many contemporary photographers clearly edition their works, it has not always…
Read more about Artist Profile: Edward Weston March 4, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Artist Profile: Edward Weston Edward Weston was a self-taught photographer who migrated to California from the midwest and began his career there as a commercial portrait photographer in Glendale. His early style was characterized by a soft-focus approach that emulated painting and was associated with a school of photography known as Pictorialism. Weston was also a member of Group f/64—a community of artist-photographers who developed a photographic vocabulary and visual style described as California Modernism. Here Daile Kaplan discusses how to identify prints by Edward and his sons Brett and Cole.
Read more about Edward Steichen’s ‘White Lotus’ Brings Record for the Image in Winter 2020 Sale of Classic & Contemporary Photographs February 27, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Edward Steichen’s ‘White Lotus’ Brings Record for the Image in Winter 2020 Sale of Classic & Contemporary Photographs It was a Who’s Who among American photographers in Classic & Contemporary Photographs on Tuesday, February 25. The auction brought $1M and saw competitive bidding in the room and on the Swann Galleries App.
Read more about California Modernism: Photography from Group f/64 February 20, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks California Modernism: Photography from Group f/64 The perpetual sunshine and endless summer enjoyed by California natives has traditionally been linked to the glamor and film industries. But in the 1920s and thirties, a community of artist-photographers known as Group f/64 developed a photographic vocabulary and visual style that might best be described as California Modernism.
Read more about Artist Profile: Edward Steichen’s Foray into Color Photography February 13, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Artist Profile: Edward Steichen’s Foray into Color Photography Our winter-spring 2020 sale of Classic & Contemporary Photographs on February 25 is set to offer a rare color image by Edward Steichen. Here Daile Kaplan, the house’s director of photographs and photobooks, presents Steichen’s love for horticulture and the photographer’s employment of color images.
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 Classic & Contemporary Photographs: Winter-Spring 2020 January 10, 2020 Photographs & Photobooks Classic & Contemporary Photographs: Winter-Spring 2020 Photographs by outstanding American artists headline this auction: Berenice Abbott, Dawoud Bey, Margaret Bourke-White, Harry Callahan, Edward Steichen and Minor White.
Read more about Edward S. Curtis & Irving Penn Shine in Fall 2019 Classic & Contemporary Photographs October 22, 2019 Photographs & Photobooks Edward S. Curtis & Irving Penn Shine in Fall 2019 Classic & Contemporary Photographs Swann’s Thursday, October 17 sale of Classic & Contemporary Photographs featured a broad range of photographic material including works by Edward S. Curtis, Irving Penn, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Dorothea Lange and W. Eugene Smith.
Read more about The Making of an Image: Irving Penn’s Cuzco Children October 2, 2019 Photographs & Photobooks The Making of an Image: Irving Penn’s Cuzco Children Our October 17 sale of Classic & Contemporary Photographs features an impressive selection of portraiture from the last two centuries. The most significant is Irving Penn’s 1960, printed 1978, platinum-palladium print, Cuzco Children. Here Daile Kaplan, the house’s Vice President and Director of Photographs & Photobooks, touches on Penn’s practice and the making of the image.
Read more about Collecting Works by African-American Photographers October 1, 2019 African American Art Collecting Works by African-American Photographers A superb selection of images by African-American photographers is set to come across the block in our Fall 2019 sale of African-American Fine Art. Here we take a look at the offering that includes artists from the Harlem Renaissance through today.
Read more about Fall 2019: Classic & Contemporary Photographs August 29, 2019 Photographs & Photobooks Fall 2019: Classic & Contemporary Photographs Featured photographers include: Walead Beshty, John Divola, Seydou Keïta, Richard Misrach, Vik Muniz, Andres Serrano and Joel Sternfeld. A headliner among the rare photobook offerings is a 1950s–1972 Edward Ruscha archive featuring a signed first edition of his Twentysix Gasoline Stations—as well as other signed artist’s books, a signed lithograph Have a Soup Souper Season, ephemeral material, and a Polaroid.
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 Records & Results: Photographs & Photobooks April 23, 2019 Photographs & Photobooks Records & Results: Photographs & Photobooks Martín Chambi & Images of South America Lead Classic & Contemporary Photographs at Swann Our sale of Classic & Contemporary Photographs on Thursday, April 18 saw active bidding across all categories with early-twentieth-century photography, Humanist portraits and sublime images of nature…
Read more about Records & Results: Photographs & Photobooks February 27, 2019 Photographs & Photobooks Records & Results: Photographs & Photobooks A Record for Malick Sidibé in Swann Photo SaleVernacular albums of nineteenth-century India bring $30k Our sale of Photographs: Art & Visual Culture on February 21, a curated sale celebrating photographs as physical objects, saw success across the board with contemporary, twentieth-century and…
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 A Look Inside the Catalogue: Photographs & Photobooks 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…
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 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 Do You Speak Photography? October 10, 2017 Photographs & Photobooks Do You Speak Photography? This post was written by our Vice President and Director of Photographs & Photobooks, Daile Kaplan. Photography is ubiquitous in visual culture. Whether you prefer contemporary works by Alec…
Read more about Black and White All Over: The Riddle of Classical Photography August 17, 2017 Photographs & Photobooks Black and White All Over: The Riddle of Classical Photography The following was written by Vice President and Director of Photographs & Photobooks, Daile Kaplan: I love looking at photographs in both black-and-white and color iterations. Long before streaming…
Read more about Identifying Types of Photographic Prints August 11, 2017 Photographs & Photobooks 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…
Read more about Records & Results: Images & Objects: Photographs & Photobooks April 23, 2017 Photographs & Photobooks Records & Results: Images & Objects: Photographs & Photobooks On Thursday, April 20, our sale ofImages & Objects: Photographs & Photobooks set multiple records for early and modern works, with 71% of works offered finding buyers. Nearly all…
Read more about William Bradford & The Arctic Regions April 19, 2017 Photographs & Photobooks William Bradford & The Arctic Regions The following are notes from the catalogue for our April 20 sale of Images & Objects: Photographs & Photobooks. William Bradford, a celebrated American painter, was also a…
Read more about Modern Daguerreotypes & More April 13, 2017 Photographs & Photobooks Modern Daguerreotypes & More While we live in a digital age, faced with a tsunami of photographs on all manner of devices, many modern artists have returned to the earliest photographic techniques. These were delicate, time-consuming…
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…
Read more about Ed Ruscha: “I Want To Be The Henry Ford of Bookmaking” October 18, 2016 Photographs & Photobooks Ed Ruscha: “I Want To Be The Henry Ford of Bookmaking” Edward Ruscha is a pioneer of the American photobook. Between 1962 and 1978 he produced no fewer than sixteen artist’s books, fourteen of which will be offered as a lot in Swann Galleries’…
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…
Read more about Andy Warhol’s Index Book December 6, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Andy Warhol’s Index Book Finely packaged and replete with surprises, Andy Warhol’s Index (Book), included in Thursday’s Important Photographs & Photobooks auction, introduces Warhol’s parallel themes of charming whimsy, and his brilliant upending of…
Read more about Irving Penn and Alexandra Beller November 30, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Irving Penn and Alexandra Beller Irving Penn is associated with fine photographs of fashionable women. An innovative artist and master technician, Penn recognized that editorial photography was but one form of representation and moved effortlessly…
Read more about Handmade John F. Kennedy Albums October 13, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Handmade John F. Kennedy Albums As a boy, Robert A. Cumins, now a prominent photojournalist, was fascinated with President John F. Kennedy’s administration. A local newspaperman who knew of Cumins’s interest in JFK passed along…
Read more about Daile Kaplan on Ansel Adams & the Value of a Photograph August 24, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Daile Kaplan on Ansel Adams & the Value of a Photograph With the unfolding story surrounding a box of photographic negatives discovered in California, which were originally reported to have been taken by esteemed photographer Ansel Adams, many questions have popped…
Read more about Imogen Cunningham’s Magnolia Blossom May 6, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Imogen Cunningham’s Magnolia Blossom Imogen Cunningham’s life-long love for flora, combined with her keen understanding of line, textural contrast and lighting, bring forth the magnolia blossom’s pure form and soft sensuality through shadow and…