Yesterday's Top Lots: Modernist Posters

Jean Dupas, Bal des Étudiants, 1927. Sold for $36,000.

Jean Dupas's Bal des Étudiants was the highest priced lot in yesterday's Modernist Posters auction. The poster, which sold for $36,000, is the essence of French Art Deco. Dupas is known for his refined renditions of elegant women with elongated necks and baroque costumes, his use of sophisticated layers of shadows, and minimal color.

Edward McKnight Kauffer, Power / The Nerve Centre of London’s Underground, 1931. Sold for $33,600.

Posters for the London Underground continue to attract collectors, and Edward McKnight Kauffer's rare Power / The Nerve Centre of London's Underground brought an auction record price of $33,600. Kauffer designed 141 posters for the London Underground, and this commanding machine-age image is one of his undisputed masterpieces. 

Luciano Achille Mauzan, Casa America / Pianos, 1930. Sold for $16,800.

Prolific poster and postcard designer Luciano Achille Mauzan's image for a Buenos Aires music store, Casa America / Pianos, charmed bidders to the tune of $16,800. It is one of the more than 2000 posters designed by the artist during his career.