Graphic Design: May 18, 2023 Auction Highlights

Ladislav Sutnar, *Vystava Modernize Obchodu / [Modern Commerce Exhibition],* 1929. Estimate $12,000 to $18,000.

Swann’s annual Graphic Design auction gets better and better with each passing year. As more people find interest and delight in the material, still others bring us wonderful material to offer. This year’s is one of the strongest auctions we have ever assembled. On offer are standout items from across the globe with a myriad of art movements, including Jugendstil and Secession, Art Deco, Futurism, Mid-Century Modernism and Swiss Realism. Two large archives of ephemeral material lend to the sale an angle that it has seldom had, but one that is of great interest to the market: ephemeral design such as postcards, books, magazines, pamphlets and beyond.

Aficionados of the legends of graphic design will marvel at rare works by Fortunato Depero, Max Huber, Edward McKnight Kauffer, Abram Games, Paul Schuitema, Ladislav Sutnar, Gustav Klutsis, Frederic Henrion, Herbert Bayer, Ludwig Hohlwein, Paul Rand, Milton Glaser, William Addison Dwiggins, Peter Behrens and Viktor Koretsky, to name but a few!

Left: Peter Behrens, *Darmstadt / Mai – 1901,* 1901. Estimate $15,000 to $20,000; right: Ludwig Hohlwein, *Zeiss / Feldstecher,* 1912. Estimate $6,000 to $9,000.

Gustav Klutsis, Photocollage maquette with mixed media, 1935. Estimate $7,000 to $10,000

Left: Frederico Seneca, *Cioccolatini Perugina,* circa 1930. Estimate $10,000 to $15,000; right: Noël Fontanet, *Grand Prix De Suisse / Genève,* 1938. Estimate $6,000 to $9,000.

Also on offer is an outstanding selection of racing and automotive posters, including works by Jules De Praetere, Cassarini and Nils Wedel.

From left to right: Jules De Praetere, *Taxameter 10,000,* 1915. Estimate $5,000 to $7,500; Cassarini, *Nervol,* circa 1930. Estimate $1,000 to $1,500; Nils Wedel, *Sveriges Grand Prix,* 1930. Estimate $1,200 to $1,800.

Vic, *Shell Oil & Petrol / For Quick – Starting,* 1930. Estimate $1,500 to $2,000.

Related Reading

Collector’s Guide: Vintage Car Posters

Poster Designers: On Brand

The sale features a strong selection of Swiss posters, including works by Niklaus Stoecklin, Donald Brun, Peter Birkhauser, Hebert Leupin, Numa Rick, Armin Hoffman, Josef Muller-Brockmann, Otto Baumberger, Karl Hindenlang and Hermann Eidenbenz.

From a private collection we are able to present one of the most intriguing collections of Italian Futurism to come to From the private collection of Albert P. Albano we are able to present one of the most intriguing collections of Italian Futurism to come to market. All graphic, the material is primarily ephemeral, encompassing postcards, pocket calendars and magazines, as well as a number of important, wonderfully-designed books. Artists, among others, include Fortunato Depero, Attilo Calzavara, Tato, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Umberto di Lazarro, Federico Seneca and Enrico Prampolini.