Graphic Design: Featuring Modernist Posters from the Vienna Secession to 1990s Political Images

At Auction June 18


This year’s Graphic Design auction presents exciting posters and materials ranging from the Vienna Secession to political posters of the 1990s. At the heart of the auction are posters from two exceptional private collections: stunning European Avant-garde design from the estate of Alexander Kaplen, and unparalleled Art Deco works from the estate of Jeffrey Aminoff and Kathleen Faccini, a collection that was assembled in the 1980s and 90s.


Soviet & Russian Design

Powerful modernist posters slated for this auction include works by the fraternal Russian design duo Vladimir and Georgii Stenberg, with their posters for the 1928 films The Eleventh and In the Spring.


Lot 33: Vladimir and Georgii Stenberg, In the Spring, 1929. $30,000 to $40,000.
Lot 32: Vladimir and Georgii Stenberg, The Eleventh, 1928. From the Estate of Alexander Kaplen. $35,000 to $45,000.

European Avant-Garde

Additional scarce masterworks of European avant-garde design are by Mathilde Flögl, Fortunato Depero, Andreas Farkas, Herbert Bayer, and Ladislav Sutnar (with his iconic Vystava Moderniho Obchodu, 1928).


Lot 28: Ladislav Sutnar, Vystava Moderniho Obchodu [Modern Commerce Exhibition], 1929. From the Estate of Alexander Kaplen. $12,000 to $18,000.
Lot 31: Andreas Farkas, Modiano, Szivarkahüvely, 1929. $7,000 to $10,000.

Bauhaus


Lot 22: Herbert Bayer, Ausstellung Europäisches Kunstgewerbe, 1927. From the Estate of Jeffrey Aminoff and Kathleen Faccini. $10,000 to $15,000.

Wiener Werkstätte


Lot 26: Mathilde Flögl, Werkbund Ausstellung Wien, 1930. From the Estate of Jeffrey Aminoff and Kathleen Faccini. $8,000 to $12,000.

Swiss, French & Belgian Design

The sale will also feature modernist works by accomplished Swiss, French and Belgian designers, such as Johannes Handschin, Charles Kuhn, Otto Baumberger, Kaspar Ernst Graf, Charles Loupot, René Magritte.


Lot 46: René Magritte, Primevere, 1926. $5,000 to $7,500.

European Car Posters


Lot 98: Charles Loupot, Ch. Philippossian Automobiles, Genève, 1920. From the Estate of Jeffrey Aminoff and Kathleen Faccini. $60,000 to $90,000.
Lot 108: Johannes Handschin, Grosser Preis Montreux, 1934. From the Estate of Jeffrey Aminoff and Kathleen Faccini. $15,000 to $20,000.
Lot 110: Kaspar Ernst Graf, Grand Prix Suisse, Automobile, 1934. From the Estate of Jeffrey Aminoff and Kathleen Faccini. $10,000 to $15,000.

American Design

Important works of American Graphic design by Saul Bass, Saul Steinberg, Roy Lichtenstein, John Massey, Paul Rand and several posters created and circulated by the Guerrilla Girls.


Lot 239: Barbara Kruger, The Perfect Kiss / New Order, 1985. $1,500 to $2,000.
Lot 227: Saul Steinberg, Wedding Picture, screenprint on silk, 1950. $6,000 to $9,000.
Lot 151: Saul Bass, [Anatomy of a Murder], Last Year’s No. 1 Bestseller, This Year’s (We Hope) No. 1 Motion Picture, 1959. $4,000 to $6,000.
Lot 215: Guerrilla Girls, Do Women Have to Be Naked to Get Into the Met Museum? 2012. $1,000 to $1,500.

Tadanori Yokoo


Lot 207: Tadanori Yokoo, The City and Design, The Wonders of Life on Earth, 1966. $12,000 to $18,000.

Previewing Online Only

This auction will be held live and conducted remotely by Swann auctioneers taking bids from multiple platforms. While there will not be bidding in the room, we will be accepting order bids, and interested buyers will be able to participate live online via the Swann Galleries App. The app is available in the App Store and on Google Play, and it can also be accessed on a desktop at live.swanngalleries.com. Please note: limited phone bidding will be available for this auction. Phone bidding registrations will close the day before the sale at 4pm.

At this time, our exhibition and auction location at 104 East 25th Street is closed to the public. In lieu of a physical exhibition, you may request condition reports from our specialists. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.


Specialist for the Auction

Nicholas D. Lowry

Vintage Posters Director

posters@swanngalleries.com

(212) 254-4710 ext. 57


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Further Reading: What You Need to Know When Buying a Vintage Poster