Ski in Aspen

Aspen, Colorado is a popular destination for skiing in the U.S. Yet, surprisingly, there are few ski posters promoting its snowy slopes. The Aspen Daily News makes note of the Herbert Bayer poster, Ski in Aspen Colorado, 1942, in Swann's February 8th Vintage Posters auction. Columnist Lynn Burton writes that the poster is "one of the first, if not the first, ski posters for Aspen." According to Swann president and director of the Vintage Posters department, Nicholas Lowry, "it was the confluence of the artist and resort" that make this particular poster so eye-grabbing.


Additionally, the January 2011 issue of Skiing Heritage includes an article titled Dynamic Design, which details the annual design competition for Dartmouth Winter Carnival posters. Included are mentions of several of the posters included in Swann's upcoming sale. 
Herbert Bayer, Ski in Aspen Colorado, 1942. Estimate: $7,000 to $10,000.

Nicholas Lowry: Man on the Scene

Swann President Nicholas Lowry was the auctioneer for the James Beard Foundation's Annual Gala Dinner and Auction on November 10th. His stint landed him on GQ magazine's coveted "Man on the Scene" page. Dressed for the evening in Façonnable, he is pictured on the designer's "Fashionable Foodies" page on their website. 

S.S. Normandie Sails Into Swann

A. M. Cassandre, Normandie, Paris, circa 1938. Estimate: $15,000 to $20,000.

The French Line's S.S. Normandie sailed from 1935 to 1942, when it caught on fire during World War II. The lavish Art Deco liner sailed between Le Havre and New York. The ship, which is still considered the most powerful steam turbo-electric propelled passenger ship ever built, has a lasting legacy today. The February 3rd Ocean Liner and Transportation Memorabilia auction, featuring the Kristin Johnson Collection, includes many items related to or from the famed ship.

Normandie Ship's Broadside for "Grande Soiree de Gala," August 3, 1935. Estimate: $600 to $900.

A.M. Cassandre's famous poster of the Normandie, of which there are seven different versions, is represented with the only known variant without an overprint for a special event or advertising "service regulier." A broadside announcing the midnight performances in the Restaurant Grill from August 3, 1935, as well as the program's performance; blueprints of the theater on the ship, 1933; a photo album with 37 photos of the ship, captioned in the negative by Byron, 1930s; and several silver serving items from the ship are also on offer.

Silver coffee pot with ball top by Christofle, Normandie, 1930s. Estimate: $500 to $750. Normandie Maiden voyage medallion, 1935. Estimate: $250 to $350.

Romare Bearden: Celebrating One Hundred Years

Romare Bearden, Tidings, collage of various papers and mixed media, circa 1973. Estimate: $30,000 to $50,000.

Romare Bearden is undoubtedly one of America’s greatest artists. Today, his collages are viewed as some of the most unique and significant contributions to 20th century American art. Born during the Harlem Renaissance and matured during the Civil Rights struggle, his aesthetic is considered to be one of the defining cultural signifiers in the African-American experience. Bearden’s art displays a wide-ranging and deep intellectual curiosity, built upon his encyclopedic knowledge of art history—his influences range from Renaissance frescoes to Afro-Caribbean folklore. This cross-cultural appreciation gives his work tremendous resonance.

Romare Bearden, The Family, color etching and aquatint, 1975. Estimate: $8,000 to $12,000.

Born on September 2, 1911, Romare Bearden’s centennial will be celebrated throughout 2011. Bearden was greatly honored both during his lifetime and posthumously, with numerous prestigious awards, publications and exhibitions, including three major retrospectives. While there will be many other celebrations this year, including a retrospective at the Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC, and a forthcoming book by Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, the section in the February 17th African-American Fine Art auction is Swann's tribute to his centennial year.


The sale features some important and scarce examples of Romare Bearden’s work in collage, photomontage, watercolor, monotype and printmaking. Bearden pushed the boundaries of each medium he chose, finding an inherent quality that was well suited to his subjects—from the heady improvisation of the jazz monotypes to the deep color saturation of the Obeah watercolors. We are only beginning to fully appreciate that creativity and foresight today.

A Century of Dartmouth Winter Carnival Posters

Swann's February 8th Vintage Posters auction includes 16 posters from Dartmouth's annual Winter Carnival, which began in 1911. The sale includes posters from the 1930s, '40s and '50s. Each year, a winning poster by a student was chosen, and among those in the sale are designs by Dwight Clark Shepler, T.H. Joanethis and D.B. Leigh. 


A recently published book, Winter Carnival: A Century of Dartmouth Posters, includes the 100 winning poster designs from the past century. Read about record-setting carnival posters sold at Swann here.  

Cunard Royal Rendezvous

Queen Mary. Cunard White Star, color lithograph. Estimate: $300 to 400.

Can't wait until the February 3rd Ocean Liner and Transportation Memorabilia auction? Today is the Cunard Royal Rendezvous. Celebrating Cunard's luxury ships, the three Cunard Queens—the Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth—will meet in New York Harbor in front of the Statue of Liberty. 


Additionally, in honor of the event, the Empire State Building will be lit in red tonight, and the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange will be one from the original Queen Elizabeth's bridge, dating back to the 1940s.

James Little: At Auction and in ARTnews

James Little, The Chinese Massacre, 1977. Estimate: $10,000 to $15,000.

In Swann’s February 17th African-American Fine Art auction, James Little's oil on canvas, The Chinese Massacre, 1977, is his first work on canvas to come to auction. It is an early experimental painting in which Little combined oil painting with a dispersing agent to create a unique cratered, organic texture. The January issue of ARTnews includes a peek inside his Brooklyn studio, exploring his work in geometric abstractions. 

While Little’s works have grown increasingly linear, this “defiant abstractionist” has always had a skill for manipulating paint—from these chemical reactions in his early works to his current use of encaustic, mixing together oil paint and beeswax into vibrant hues. “If I hadn’t been a painter, I would have been a scientist. There’s alchemy in it too.” Little balances gradations of color, set against flat lines, to create his harmonious compositions that deftly meld geometry, science and art. 


Celia McGee writes: “Color, Little says, is his imagery, just as a cup or bowl would be for a still-life painter or trees and mountains for a landscape artist. ‘It’s subject matter for me—the statement is in the interactions of certain colors, their placement, the temperature of color.’”

Swann's Online Performing Arts Auction Live Today

Swann Galleries' Performing Arts Memorabilia Online auction begins today. The auction of approximately 400 photographs and playbills of stage and screen actors will run through February 1st. To bid in the online sale, please go to the online catalogue, where you can click on the individual lots to place and view the current bids. You will also be notified by email if someone outbids you. 


Mae West, Program for 'Diamond Lil,' inscribed, February 1950.