Last Week's Top Lots: Modernist Posters

Last Thursday's sale of Modernist Posters achieved several auction records, both for individual posters and for designers, and saw strong results across the board. The day's top lot, a poster designed in 1918 by Egon Schiele for the 49th Vienna Secession, sold for $28,800. Secession 49 featured Schiele's artwork prominently and launched him as an internationally important artist. This poster, which depicts Schiele at a table with several like-minded peers, marks both the height and the end of the artist's career, as he died later in 1918.

Egon Schiele, Secession 49. Ausstellung, 1918.

Among the records achieved for individual posters were two designs by Gustav G. Klutsis, both from 1930. His [Building of Soviet Farms and Collective Farms is the Building of Socialism in Rural Areas] brought $22,800, and [We Will Turn the Five-year Plan into a Four-year Plan] sold for $18,000. Among the several prominent examples of typography in the sale, Walter Dexel's Verwende Stets Nur Gas, 1924, sold for a record $26,400.

Gustav G. Klutsis, [We Will Turn the Five-Year Plan into a Four-Year Plan], 1930.

The sale also set several artist records, including one for Franco Barbaris, whose Candee, 1929, sold for $6,960. Two of Paul Rand's iconic IBM posters were offered in this sale, one from 1982 and the other from 1991, both signed. They each achieved $5,520, setting an auction record for the artist.

Paul Rand, IBM, 1982.

Remembering Maurice Sendak

This week we said goodbye to beloved illustrator and author Maurice Sendak. He holds a special place in the hearts of our Swann family as told through an anecdote relating to the birth of our President, Nicholas Lowry. Back in 1967, Sendak was on British television being interviewed about the recent English printing of Where the Wild Things Are when he suffered an on-air heart attack as the host was lambasting the book's dark tone. As his only friends in London were the Lowry family who were living there at the time, a very pregnant Judith visited the hospital each day, keeping him company, bringing him copies of Henry James novels, and satisfying his gustatory cravings with the closest British ideal of bagels which he desperately missed being so far from Manhattan. 

When Nicholas David Lowry entered the world in December, Sendak sent this congratulatory note and sketch. In following years, in his typically mordant fashion, he would always ask the Lowrys how old Nicho was, so that he could remember the date of his heart attack. 

That baby with a crown is Swann's President, Nicholas Lowry, as drawn by Maurice Sendak!

Swann will celebrate the life and work of the award winning artist when we offer the library of the late Reed Orenstein, book dealer, collector, and friend of both Swann and the prolific Sendak, on November 20th.


Many thanks to Christine von der Linn, Swann's Art, Private Press, Illustrated & Children's books specialist, for writing this lovely post!

The Avengers (and more!) in a Marvel-ous Modernist Poster

With The Avengers earning over $200 million in its first three days, it's hard to imagine that there is anyone who hasn't fallen in love with those classic heroes. In George Delmerico's 1972 poster, A Marvel-ous Evening With Stan Lee, you can find six of the original Avengers among a total of 19 Marvel heroes's faces. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk and Nick Fury are all there, as is poor Ant Man, whose character didn't make it to the big screen. The challenge for true comic fans is this: can you name them all?

George Delmerico, A Marvel-ous Evening With Stan Lee, 1972.

The story behind the poster dates back to Marvel's Silver Age. Promoters held an event in Carnegie Hall, attempting to raise Stan Lee to a higher national profile. This original poster is one of only 300 copies printed for sale the night of the show, and the first to ever come to auction. While it won't bring in the $200 million that The Avengers did this weekend at the box office, interest seems to be growing for this eye-catching and fun poster, in this Thursday's Modernist Posters auction!

Among Modernist Posters - Typography Masterpieces

Thursday's sale of Modernist Posters features several examples of modernist typography from major innovators of the form, including Max Bill, Walter Dexel and Jan Tschichold, all associates of the Bauhaus. 

Versions of Walter Dexel's posters Neue Wege der Photographie, 1928 and
Verwende Stets nur Gas, 1924, (below), are part of MoMA's permanent collection.

Walter Dexel eschewed pictorial imagery for "the use of ornament based entirely on precise geometric forms." In this vein, Verwende Stets Nur Gas, 1924, features nothing more than type stating the benefits of gas framed in a large yellow rectangle, and grabs attention with a big red exclamation point. Using very simple elements, the poster elevates the otherwise mundane instruction to "Always use gas for cooking, baking, heating, lighting..."

Max Bill, Tanzstudio Wulff Basel, 1931.

Contrasting the simplicity of Dexel's designs is a poster for a ballet performance designed by Max Bill. While Bill led the development of a grid-centric international typographic style, this composition is playful, chaotic and slightly abstract. 

Ib Andersen, Bygge Og Bolig, 1929.

Interesting typography is not limited to the type-only posters in this sale. Ib Andersen's Bygge Og Bolig, 1929, which features type around the edges of the poster, is a fine example of typography integrated into an Art Deco cityscape. Typography plays a role in nearly every poster, from Porsche advertisements to René Magritte's designs for sheet music covers and A.M. Cassandre's maquette for Unic, recently written about on art blog Mondrian's Room.

A group of five albums of Art Deco Calligraphy sold April 12, 2012 for $12,000. 

Typography isn't limited to Swann's Modernist Posters sales, either. April's sale of Fine Books featured a group of five albums of Art Deco calligraphy of unknown (but probably Parisian) origin, circa 1930.

Wednesday's Top Lots: Old Master Through Modern Prints

Wednesday's sale of Old Master Through Modern Prints set several print records and saw strong results throughout every section of the sale, with American, European and Old Master prints achieving benchmark prices. The sale's top lot was George Bellows's Dempsey and Firpo, 1923-24, which sold for $108,000. Other American prints among the top 20 were Edward Hopper's East Side Interior, 1922 ($48,000), and Night Shadows, 1921 ($40,800), as well as Childe Hassam's Marie at the Window, 1923 ($22,800).

George Bellows, Dempsey and Firpo, lithograph, 1923-24.

A group of six etchings from James A.M. Whistler's Jubilee or Naval Review Set brought $78,000. It was the most complete offering of etchings from this set of 12 seen at auction in the past 25 years.

Whistler, one of six etchings from the Naval Review Set, 1887.

The top old master print was George Stubbs's striking etching and engraving, A Lion Devouring A Horse. This was the first unrecorded working proof to be offered at auction in the past 25 years. It sold for $69,600, a record for any print by Stubbs sold at auction.

George Stubbs, A Lion Devouring a Horse, etching and engraving, before 1788.

Among the European prints offered, a portfolio by René Magritte, Aube à l'Antipode, brought a record $62,400. The portfolio of seven etchings was one of 17 deluxe copies, published by Editions du Soleil, Paris, 1966.

René Magritte, Aube à l'Antipode, portfolio with 7 etchings, 1966.

An Online Exhibition of Daring Dames

Daile Kaplan, Swann's Vice President & Director of Photography, recently curated an online exhibition of photographs for the National Women's History Museum. Co-curated with Donna Henes and featuring images from the Kaplan-Henes Photographs Collection, Daring Dames offers photos of women "who have demonstrated curiosity about the larger world and remarkable resourcefulness in their ability to navigate in it".

The images range from a female sharpshooter taking a shot in a 1920s Wild West show to a group of women ambulance drivers in WWI, whose job was transporting injured soldiers from the trenches to medical care, to protesters at the building site of a housing project in the 1960s.

In addition to these unknown heroes of women's rights, there are also photographs of Amelia Earhart, Grandma Moses and Helen Keller. In a statement, the co-curators said, "The exhibition celebrates the spirit of adventure and indefatigable determination of these daring dames to manifest their wildest American dreams. These pioneering women are an inspiration to all of us."

The National Women's History Museum is a Washington, DC-based organization that affirms the value of knowing Women's History, illuminates the role of women in transforming society and encourages all people, women and men, to participate in democratic dialogue about our future. The Museum regularly releases new online exhibits, and topics include women Olympians, Filmmakers, the Suffrage movement and women in wartime.

Impressive Collection of American Prints in Next Week's Sale

George Bellows, Dempsey and Firpo, lithograph, 1923-24.

Swann's April 25 auction of Old Master through Modern Prints contains a small but impressive assortment of American prints and drawings from the collection of a Virginia gentleman. The collector came to the United States in 1939, escaping Hitler's war-torn Germany, and lived in the suburbs of New York City for 35 years. During that time he discovered and fell in love with American art, most notably the works of Winslow Homer, Childe Hassam, George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Martin Lewis and Thomas Hart Benton.

Childe Hassam, The Writing Desk, etching, 1915.

Many of the classic works offered in the upcoming auction were acquired through auctions and galleries in New York during the 1970s, 80s and 90s--some at Swann, in fact.

Edward Hopper, East Side Interior, etching, 1922.

The collector is now putting these exquisite works up for auction, and it is his hope that they will be cherished by other collectors who will enjoy them as much as he has.

Tuesday's Top Lots: Revolutionary Americana & Autographs

Tuesday's sale of Revolutionary Americana from the Allyn Kellogg Ford Collection, followed by a sale of Autographs, broke over 15 auction records, and doubled the low estimate for the sale as a whole. The Allyn Kellogg Ford collection, sold to benefit the Minnesota Historical Society, featured material that had been acquired in the 1930s and 40s and was well preserved for the past 70 years. At the core of Ford's collection was a large group of letters related to Brigadier General George Weedon who corresponded with many central figures in the American Revolution. 

Autograph Letter Signed by Jonathan Trumbull Jr. to Brigadier General George Weedon, 1781, sold for $90,000.

The top lot was a 1781 letter written by General George Washington's aide-de-camp Jonathan Trumbull Jr. to Weedon, which describes the British surrender at Yorktown. Estimated at $4,000 to $6,000, the letter ultimately brought $90,000 after heated bidding, marking a new auction record for a letter from Trumbull Jr. 

Autograph Letter Signed by David Hume to the Earl of Hertford, 1766, $48,000.

Another record-breaking lot was a letter from David Hume to the Ambassador of Great Britian to France, the Earl of Hertford. In it, the famed philosopher recounts William Pitt's speech before the House of Commons defending the American reaction to the Stamp Act, and offering his own opinion in favor of repeal. The 1766 letter sold for $48,000.

Autograph Letter Signed by Samuel F.B. Morse, 1864, sold for $28,800.

From the Autographs portion of the sale were two letters by Samuel F.B. Morse that set auction records, bringing $28,800 and $26,400. Both concerned Morse's development of the telegraph. In one, he discusses the Senate's approval of funding for his experimental telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore. In the other, he discusses the choice of wording for the first telegraphed message in the United States: a Bible passage that read, "What hath God wrought?"

Whistler's Jubilee Set in a Diamond Jubilee Year

More than 120 years ago, 1887 marked the 50th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Victoria. James Whistler, then president of the Royal Society of British Artists, was invited to attend the Naval Review celebrating the Queen's Jubilee on July 23. He created 12 etchings during the day's festivities, and those images were never published, but were sold or given by the artist as a set.

James A.M. Whistler, from the Jubilee or Naval Review Set, etchings, all 1887.

According to our specialists, a complete set of all 12 etchings has never come to auction. In fact, the group of six etchings from the Jubilee or Naval Review Set that's being offered in our April 25 sale of Old Master through Modern Prints is the most complete set ever to appear at auction. 

This year marks the Diamond Jubilee (60 years) of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, and fine art is taking center stage in those celebrations: among several exhibitions throughout the UK, the National Portrait Gallery in London will be showing iconic images of the Queen, both traditional and challenging. Whistler honored Queen Victoria in 1887 with etchings that celebrated the strength of the British fleet... it will be interesting to see what new art comes out of this year's Jubilee.

Last Week's Top Lots: Photographs & Photobooks

Last Wednesday's sale saw several auction records, and excellent results overall. The morning session, Property from the Estate of Filmmaker Gary Winick, included important contemporary and vintage photographs, movie memorabilia and posters from all but one of Hitchcock's films. The top lot from the Winick session was also the day's top lot overall: a striking William Eggleston dye-transfer print, 1970, which sold for $60,000. 

William Eggleston, Untitled (from the series Los Alamos), dye-transfer print, 1970.

Among the 19th & 20th Century Photographs & Photobooks, Ansel Adams' Portfolio #4: What majestic Word, In Memory of Russell Varian set a record. The 15 photograph portfolio brought $54,000. Camera Work Number 36 also set a record for that particular issue of Alfred Stieglitz's early photo magazine, selling for $26,400. This copy is signed & inscribed: Stieglitz wrote "I'd like to autograph my photographs for you, dear Friend. But I most dislike to autograph them more often than they are autographed in their "natural state." 

Ansel Adams, from Portfolio #4: What Majestic Word, In Memory of Russell Varian, 1963.

A portfolio of more than 90 professional photographs of a German dignitary's Asian & American travels set a record for a portfolio of vernacular photography. The photographs, mostly of China, Japan, and the U.S., were taken in the 1930s.

From the record-setting portfolio of Asia & the Americas, 1930s.