Swann’s LGBTQ+ auction sets records in several categories

Diane Arbus, ‘Two Men Dancing at the Drag Ball, NYC,’ silver print, 1970, printed 1972. Sold for $50,000, a record for the print.
Diane Arbus, ‘Two Men Dancing at the Drag Ball, NYC,’ silver print, 1970, printed 1972. Sold for $50,000, a record for the print.
Diane Arbus, ‘Two Men Dancing at the Drag Ball, NYC,’ sold for $50,000, a record for the print.

NEW YORK — Swann‘s third annual auction of LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History was an unmitigated success, from the limited exhibition, which had the highest attendance of any of the house’s exhibitions in 18 months, to the truly spirited and competitive bidding. Records were set in many different categories: art, photography, posters and ephemera. “Perhaps most heartening were the outstanding results achieved for artists whose work had not previously or only infrequently appeared at auction,” said Swann Galleries President Nicholas D. Lowry about the August 19 sale, which earned $1.3 million.

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Jasper52 to hold Exquisite Decorative Arts sale, Sept. 1

Michel Decoux, ‘Hunter with Bow Chasing Two Deer,’ circa 1918, est. $9,000-$11,000
Michel Decoux, ‘Hunter with Bow Chasing Two Deer,’ circa 1918, est. $9,000-$11,000
Michel Decoux, ‘Hunter With Bow Chasing Two Deer,’ circa 1918, est. $9,000-$11,000

NEW YORK – Decorative arts objects represent the pinnacle of luxury. There’s something inherently decadent about buying something that serves no purpose except to sit there in a corner or on a shelf and look pretty. That’s it, that’s it’s job – to look pretty, and to make you happy.

On September 1, starting at 7 pm Eastern time, Jasper52 will hold an 141-lot sale of Exquisite Decorative Arts. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. What follows are three highlights from the auction.

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Gold Rush memorabilia is almost as prized as gold itself

This collection of 1898 Klondike Gold Rush letters, photos and gold nuggets earned $3,250 plus the buyer’s premium in May 2019 at John McInnis Auctioneers. Photo courtesy of John McInnis Auctioneers and LiveAuctioneers.
A collection of 1898 Klondike Gold Rush letters, photos and gold nuggets earned $3,250 plus the buyer’s premium in May 2019 at John McInnis Auctioneers. Image courtesy of John McInnis Auctioneers and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — The discovery of gold at Rabbit Creek in Canada’s Yukon Territory on August 16, 1896 rocked the continent. American prospector George Carmack filed the formal claim, and thus received much of the credit for the find, though the party included his First Nation companions Jim Mason, Dawson Charlie, and Kate Carmack (who were also, respectively, Carmack’s brother-in-law, nephew, and common-law wife). Rabbit Creek, which fed into the Klondike River, was renamed Bonanza Creek. Hundreds of thousands of men headed for the frigid extremes of the North American west, hoping to turn their dreams of gold into a reality, just like their fathers and grandfathers who flooded the West in 1848 after gold was found in what is now California.

This month and year marks the 125th anniversary of the start of the Klondike Gold Rush, a pivotal part of North American history. Collectors still clamor for objects and artifacts that represent the time and tell its story.

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