Swann poster sale Feb. 18 reflects height of Belle Epoque

NEW YORK – The winter offering of vintage posters at Swann Galleries comes across the block on Thursday, Feb. 18. The sale features a selection of scarce designs from various prolific movements in the genre and exceptional works from top designers. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

The sale is led by Orazi Manuel’s La Maison Moderne, 1900, designed for the prestigious Parisian art and home décor store dedicated to Art Nouveau. The affiche (above), from the height of the belle époque, is expected to bring $40,000 to $60,000.

Additional highlights of the era include a run of works by Alphonse Mucha, notably a trio of posters dedicated to actresses of the time: Tragique Histoire d’Hamlet / Sarah Bernhardt, 1899 ($15,000-$20,000), Medee / Sarah Bernhardt, 1898 ($12,000-$18,000) and Leslie Carter, 1908 (below; $12,000-$18,000).

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is present with poster portraits Aristide Bruant Dans Son Cabaret, 1893 ($15,000$20,000), and La Revie Blanche, 1895, featuring Misia Natanson (below; $10,000-$15,000).

From the selection of advertisements featuring modes of transportation comes a series of rare posters: H.A. Volodimer’s 1923 image for the first three-day endurance car race, Grand Prix d’Endurance de 24 Heurs / Coupe Rudge – Whitworth ($12,000-$18,000); Exposition Intern’le du Nord de la France,1911, a monumental poster at 120 x 180¼ inches, showcasing the expansive fairgrounds in Roubaix, illuminated by a Farman biplane overhead (below; $8,000-$12,000); and Francisco Tamagno’s Terrot & Cie. Dijon / Bicyclettes de Tourisme, circa 1900 ($3,000-$4,000).

Food and beverage posters are on offer with Aldo Mazza’s Vini d’Italia / Plo. Dondena & Figlio, circa 1920s (below; $7,000-$10,000); Leonetto Cappiello’s Chocolat Klaus, 1903 ($4,000-$6,000), and The Golden Goose, circa 1930 ($3,000-$4,000); Adolphe Mouron Cassandre’s Dubonnet, circa 1956 ($3,000-$4,000); and D’Après Dransy’s Nicolas / Fines Bouteilles, 1930 ($3,000-$4,000). Also available is a run of iconic Guinness beer advertisements, including several by John Guilroy.

Emil Cardinaux leads the seasonal offering of ski and winter posters with Palace Hotel / St. Moritz, 1920, one of two designed by the artist for the famous resort/hotel (below; $10,000-$15,000). Further designs by Cardinaux feature Zermatt / Matterhorn Schweiz, 1908 ($7,000-$10,000), and Bally Chaussures, 1927 ($1,500-$2,000). On the block is Augustus Moser’s Sun Valley Idaho / Union Pacific circa-1936 railway poster for the skiing destination ($6,000-$9,000); Sascha Maurer’s Ski at Lake Placid, 1938 ($2,500-$3,500); and Charles (Alo) Hallo’s A Chamonix – Mont Blanc, 1927 ($2,500-$4,500).

Additional travel posters feature works by Oscar Rabe Hanson advertising the North Shore Line: Polo / By the North Shore Line, 1923 ($7,000-$10,000), and The Hunt Along the North Shore Line, 1926 ($5,000-$7,500); as well as Willy G. Sesser’s  Illinois Centennial, 1918 ($3,000-$4,000); and Roger Broders’s Florence, 1921 ($2,000-$3,000).

A selection of theater, entertainment and film posters as well as art and exhibition advertisements will conclude the sale.

For details contact Swann Galleries specialist Nicholas D. Lowry at posters@swanngalleries.com or  212-254-4710 x 53.

 

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