The holiday season seems to have surprised everyone this year with its early arrival, but there is still time to get your Christmas cards in order. Need inspiration? Look no further than Swann's American Art / Contemporary Art sale, which features three very different Christmas greetings from well-known artists.
Perhaps in the most traditional format for a greeting, Roy Lichtenstein's Seascape, circa 1965 was commissioned by the Tremaine family of Connecticut as the front of a folded Christmas card in 1965, based on a work in the Tremaine collection. It is festive without being overtly seasonal.
Damien Hirst's 1997 Christmas greeting is a far cry from a traditional card. A collaboration with the British art storage company Momart, Hirst's acrylic cube is housed in a blue ribbed box that reads Ho, Ho, Ho!
Among the American Art offered in the sale is a small painting by Andrew Wyeth, titled The Open Window. The only hint of the holidays on the front of the watercolor is a red striped stocking to the left of the titular window. The verso, however, features a painting of Santa Claus by Wyeth's wife Betsy, inscribed with "Here it is!! Betsy & Andy."
 |
| Roy Lichtenstein, Seascape, color screenprint, folded card, circa 1965. Estimate $1,000 to $1,500. |
 |
| Damien Hirst, Christmas Greetings from Momart and Damien Hirst: Ho, Ho, Ho!, screenprint encapsulated in acrylic, in original blue box, 1997. Estimate $1,200 to $1,800. |
 |
| Andrew Wyeth, The Open Window, watercolor on card stock. Estimate $25,000 to $35,000. |
 |
| On the verso of Wyeth's card, a painting of Santa Claus by Andrew Wyeth's wife Betsy. |