Records & Results: Vintage Posters Alphonse Mucha & Art Nouveau Lead Vintage Posters at Swann Our February 7 sale of Vintage Posters saw numerous firsts and records. Nicholas D. Lowry, Swann President, noted: “Lively bidding for ski posters and Art Nouveau images set the pace for an enthusiastic auction where eager bidders drove prices high for rare examples. Collectors dominated the activity.” Lot 281: Alphonse Mucha, Documents Décoratifs, complete portfolio with 72 plates, 1902. Sold for $18,750. Alphonse Mucha & Art Nouveau The sale was led by Alphonse Mucha’s Documents Décoratifs, 1902, a complete portfolio with 72 plates displaying examples of jewelry, furniture and silverware, as well as illustrations of how to draw women and flowers. The portfolio, which prominently displayed Mucha’s stylistic expertise, reached $18,750. Other notable works by the artist included Rêverie, 1897, which sold for $8,125; Biscuits Lefèvre – Utile, 1897, The Seasons, 1896, a group of four decorative panels on fabric, and The Times of the Day / Éveil du Matin, 1899, each earning $7,500. Lot 267: Alphonse Mucha, Biscuits Lefèvre – Utile, 1897. Sold for $7,500. Additional Art Nouveau posters included records for La Garonne, 1898, a whimsical image by Arthur Foäche, at $5,460, and The Studio, 1899, by Frank Brangwyn, with $5,000. Louis J. Rhead’s colorful image, Le Journal de la Beauté, 1897, originally commissioned by La Plume, sold for $6,750. Lot 227: Louis J. Rhead, Le Journal de la Beauté, 1897. Sold for $6,750. Firsts at Auction Firsts at auction included a 1927 advertisement for the Stockholm premier of Josephine Baker’s La Sirène des Tropiques, which featured Baker in her “pearl and feather” costume, and brought $9,750; Gli Avvisi Delle Officine G. Ricordi E C., a complete portfolio with 70 plates, by G. Ricordi celebrating the rise of the poster in Italy, was won for $7,500; and Walter L. Greene’s circa 1924 oil painting for the cover of The GE Monogram garnered $6,500. Lot 429: Joséphine Baker / Fresterskan Fran Tropikerna / La Sirène des Tropiques, 1927. Sold for $9,750. Ski Posters Posters promoting travel to popular ski destinations proved successful, with Emil Cardinaux’s Palace Hotel St. Moritz, 1922, depicting an alpine round of golf and picnic, brought $5,500, and Jungfrau Bahn / Berneroberland, Schweiz, a 1919 German advertisement showing a group of skiers overlooking Aletsch Glacier in the Alps, earned $5,000. Lot 11: Emil Cardinaux, Palace Hotel St. Moritz, 1922. Sold for $5,500. Aletsch Glacier in the Alps earned $5,000. A Chamonix – Mont Blanc, 1927, by Alo (Charles Hallo), a lively image of a mid-air skier, set a record with $5,000. Lot 20: Alo (Charles Hallo), A Chamonix – Mont Blanc, 1927. Sold for $5,000. Complete Results. More about selling at Swann. Share Facebook Twitter February 13, 2019Author: Kelsie JankowskiCategory: Vintage Posters Tags: Alo Alphonse Mucha Art Nouveau art nouveau posters Charles Hallo Emil Cardinaux G. Ricordi Josephine Baker Louis J. Rhead Ski Posters St. Moritz Vintage Posters Walter L. Greene Previous In Your Hands or On the Wall: an Appreciation for the Tangible Photograph Next The Story of the Ismar Littmann Family Collection Recommended Posts Two Day Auction Event: Selections From Letterform Archive & Graphic Design Vintage Posters April 15, 2021 Vintage Posters: At Auction August 27, 2020 Vintage Posters August 4, 2020 Graphic Design: May 19, 2022 Auction Highlights Graphic Design April 14, 2022