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Records & Results: Rare & Important Travel Posters
This mid-November sale of Rare & Important Travel Posters had an excellent sell-through rate of 77%, bringing multiple auction and artist records for posters of all modes of travel. Lot 150: Cecil...
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Records & Results: Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
Our December 8 Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books auction marked the first million-dollar sale for our flourishing Maps & Atlases department, lead by Specialist Alex...
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Records & Results: Art, Press & Illustrated Books
Our November 24 auction of Art, Press & Illustrated books saw particular success for classical and poetic texts. Specialist Christine von der Linn said,”In this auction major artists illustrating...
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Notes from the Catalogue: Howard Chandler Christy’s “I Am An American!”
Our fourth annual auction of Illustration Art features the auction debut of Howard Chandler Christy’s large and masterly drawing for the poster I Am an American!, created for the 1941 Mayor’s...
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Man-Cave-iana: You’ll Know It When You See It
Our annual sale of Illustration Art is about to get underway, and with it we see the return of one of our favorite pet genres, “Man-Cave-iana.” Unsure of exactly what this category entails? Specialist...
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Records & Results: African-American Fine Art
The December 15 sale of African-American Fine Art ended the 2015 season here at Swann with record-smashing success. Lot 49: Norman Lewis, Untitled, oil on canvas, circa 1958. Sold December 15, 2015...
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Previously Unknown Edition of the Bay Psalm Book at Swann
Our Printed & Manuscript Americana sales feature historic materials, and occasionally items that come to auction shed new light on historical objects, periods and people. Our upcoming February 4...
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Specialist Selections: Nicholas Lowry’s Favorite American Ski Posters
As a skier (in all fairness I was an avid skier in my youth and now fondly recall those carefree winter excursions, as I sit behind my desk with my aging knees), a fervent poster connoisseur and...
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Grabbing a Glance and Holding It: A Look at Original Cover Art From The New...
Whether they are humorous or heartfelt, simple or striking, the cover image chosen for each issue of The New Yorker bears the heavy burden; the cover must not only grab the viewers attention but hold...
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Art & Intrigue: A Work By Revolutionary War Spy John André
Everyone loves a good spy thriller, and in the case of British Army officer Major John André, it seems everyone loved a spy. Our upcoming auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana features a...
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A Tale of Captivity and Daring Escape: Jeanette DeCamp Sweet and the Dakota...
In August of 1862 Jeanette DeCamp Sweet, a young mother who had settled in Minnesota the year before with her husband, was taken prisoner during the Dakota War, also known as the Sioux Outbreak....
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The Arctic Collection of Ray Edinger
Our upcoming Printed & Manuscript Americana auction features materials from The Arctic Collection of Ray Edinger. Mr. Edinger wrote the piece below, outlining his collection from its inception....
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Wilson A. Bentley: Photographing the Fleeting Snowflake
The media has long painted a picture of the obsessed sculptor or painter, but the idea that photographers may share this intense personal and passionate focus is less familiar to the popular viewer....
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Drama on Paper: Early American Theatrical Posters
Posters were designed to grab attention with a combination bright colors, bold typography and iconic imagery, but when it comes to posters advertising early American theater productions, the more...
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Director of African-American Fine Art Nigel Freeman Speaking at Beauford...
On February 18 Nigel Freeman will be speaking in a roundtable discussion on multiculturalism at Columbia Global Center’s Paris location. The occasion? A fantastic exhibition of paintings by...
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Material & Process: Elaine O’Neil Shares the History of Her Cyanotype Quilt
The following post was written by the artist, Elaine O’Neil, whose cyanotype quilt “Rather See Than Be One,” is featured in our upcoming auction, Art & Storytelling: Photographs & Photobooks....
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A Storied Photograph: Ansel Adams’“Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico”
Lot 99: Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, mural-sized silver print, 1948, printed early to mid-1950s. Estimate $200,000 to $300,000. Our upcoming auction Art & Storytelling:...
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Specialist Selections: American Prints
The catalogue for our upcoming March 8 auction of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings features an extensive selection of American works on paper. Over the past two decades, Swann has focused...
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The Evolution of Photo Catalogues at Swann
A lot has changed over the course of our 75-year history here at Swann, from adding new departments to expanding our exhibition space. One small but crucial metamorphosis has been the evolution of our...
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Contemporary Art at Swann: Heavy Hitters and Rising Stars
When you think about Contemporary Art, a few big names and images immediately come to mind: the iconic pop art of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, the graffiti art of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel...
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