Swann trumpets two standout seasons of books & manuscripts sales

1925 London first edition of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ in an unrestored dust jacket, offered in the March 2 Fine Books & Autographs sale, $30,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
1925 London first edition of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ in an unrestored dust jacket, offered in the March 2 Fine Books & Autographs sale, $30,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
1925 London first edition of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ in an unrestored dust jacket, offered in the March 2 Fine Books & Autographs sale, $30,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries

NEW YORK — Books and manuscripts had a standout winter-spring season at Swann Galleries. “As a company whose origins are as a book auction house, it is reaffirming to see this growth, over 25%, in our book department over the last year. Even more exciting is that the results reflect not only strength in our established departments but also great momentum in our latest specialized sale, Focus on Women,” said President Nicholas D. Lowry. The top auctions of the season included two record-breakers in their respective categories: Printed & Manuscript African Americana and Early Printed Books. Both sales recorded their highest totals in history at the house: African Americana earned $1,378,838 on March 30, and the timed online auction of Early Printed Books closed on May 4 at $1,326,560. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated through LiveAuctioneers.

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Charlotte Perkins Gilman family archive led June 1 Focus on Women sale at Swann

One of 45 photographs of Charlotte Perkins Gilman from a family archive that also contained letters and a typed manuscript co-written by Gilman, $60,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
One of 45 photographs of Charlotte Perkins Gilman from a family archive that also contained letters and a typed manuscript co-written by Gilman, $60,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries

NEW YORK — Swann Galleries’ third iteration of Focus on Women, an auction dedicated to the contributions of women to art, life and society, brought $361,090. That total exceeds the estimate for the June 1 auction, with archives and literature among the leading items of the sale. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.

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Swann delivers bounty of Fine Books & Manuscripts, June 15

John Carleton Atherton, ‘Fall Bounty’ cover design for ‘The Saturday Evening Post,’ estimated at $10,000-$15,000
John Carleton Atherton, ‘Fall Bounty’ cover design for ‘The Saturday Evening Post,’ estimated at $10,000-$15,000
John Carleton Atherton, ‘Fall Bounty’ cover design for ‘The Saturday Evening Post,’ estimated at $10,000-$15,000

NEW YORK — The Thursday, June 15 sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts at Swann Auction Galleries features a standout offering of rare autographs and books with a special selection dedicated to illustration art. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Ladies first: Swann auction focuses on women authors, artists and leaders, June 1

Alice Baber, ‘Untitled,’ estimated at $800-$1,200. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries and LiveAuctioneers
Alice Baber, ‘Untitled,’ estimated at $800-$1,200. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries and LiveAuctioneers
Alice Baber, ‘Untitled,’ estimated at $800-$1,200. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries and LiveAuctioneers

NEW YORK — Swann Galleries’ Focus on Women auction is scheduled for Thursday, June 1. The sale pulls together an eclectic selection of material representing women’s contributions to art, life and society. From Louisa May Alcott to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Catherine the Great to Susan B. Anthony, and Jane Austen to Amelia Earhart, the works of many famous women are included, but the sale wouldn’t fulfill its brief without emphasizing the everyday lives of women and their unsung accomplishments and triumphs. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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In the picture: Swann presents Fine Photographs sale April 27

Willi Ruge, ‘Photo of Myself at the Moment of my Jump,’ estimated at $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
Willi Ruge, ‘Photo of Myself at the Moment of my Jump,’ estimated at $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
Willi Ruge, ‘Photo of Myself at the Moment of my Jump,’ estimated at $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries

NEW YORK — Swann Galleries will present A Singular History of Photography: 100 Works from the Stephen White Collection in the spring Fine Photographs auction on Thursday, April 27. This dynamic offering tells the history of the medium through White’s distinct perspective; one honed through decades in the business collecting and selling, and as many years living with, studying and loving photographs. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Swann marks strongest Printed & Manuscript African Americana sale to date

First and only issue of the Harlem Renaissance-era literary magazine ‘Fire!!,’ $32,500
First and only issue of the Harlem Renaissance-era literary magazine ‘Fire!!,’ $32,500
First and only issue of the Harlem Renaissance-era literary magazine ‘Fire!!,’ $32,500

NEW YORK — Swann Galleries’ annual Printed & Manuscript African Americana auction on March 30 was, by a wide margin, the most successful in its 28-year history. The event set records, with $1,377,463 in total sales and an even 94% sell-through rate. Eight lots hit the $50,000 mark — after only 14 lots hit that mark in the previous 27 years combined. It was the third-largest sale in the long history of the house’s book department, behind only two noted single-owner sales, the Epstein sale of 1992 and the Ford sale of 2012.

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Joyful Ernie Barnes painting headlines Swann sale, April 6

Ernie Barnes, ‘Daddy,’ estimated at $250,000-$350,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
Ernie Barnes, ‘Daddy,’ estimated at $250,000-$350,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
Ernie Barnes, ‘Daddy,’ estimated at $250,000-$350,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries

NEW YORK — Swann Auction Galleries‘ spring offering of African American Art will take place on Thursday, April 6, featuring a broad range of scarce and significant art from the Harlem Renaissance to the Post-War and Contemporary periods. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Swann sets focus on the African American experience with Mar. 30 auction

Archive of photographs, negatives and slides taken or developed by famed jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, estimated at $10,000-$15,000

Archive of photographs, negatives and slides taken or developed by famed jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, estimated at $10,000-$15,000

NEW YORK — The Thursday, March 30 auction of Printed & Manuscript African Americana at Swann Galleries will feature 300 lots dedicated to the African American experience in North America. The sale includes material documenting the dark days of slavery and the Civil War through the modern era with ephemera related to the Civil Rights movement, artists, performances and concerts and Black-owned businesses. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Perfect timing: Man Ray metronome ticks confidently at Swann, Mar. 23

Man Ray, ‘Do Not Destroy (Object Indestructible, 1923-1975),’ estimated at $50,000-$80,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
Man Ray, ‘Do Not Destroy (Object Indestructible, 1923-1975),’ estimated at $50,000-$80,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
Man Ray, ‘Do Not Destroy (Object Indestructible, 1923-1975),’ estimated at $50,000-$80,000. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries

NEW YORK — Swann Galleries’ auction of 19th & 20th Century Art: Featuring Dada & Surrealism will take place Thursday, March 23. The sale will feature a selection of 150 lots devoted to modern artists who embraced the enduring movements alongside offerings by stalwarts of the two centuries such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mary Cassatt, Sonia Delaunay and Pablo Picasso. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Virginia Woolf first edition in dust jacket may exceed $25K at Swann, March 2

First edition of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ in its unrestored dust jacket, estimated at $15,000-$20,000
First edition of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ in its unrestored dust jacket, estimated at $15,000-$20,000
First edition of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ in its unrestored dust jacket, estimated at $15,000-$20,000

NEW YORK — Swann Galleries will hold a Fine Books & Autographs sale on Thursday, March 2. The auction will feature autographs from political figures, pop culture icons, artists and authors, and will include first editions of key 19th- and 20th-century literary works. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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