With seven records and a standout selection of Latin American art, Swann Galleries’ sale of Old Master Through Modern Prints on May 2 offered works by the greatest innovators in the field.
The house’s largest-ever offering of Latin American prints and originals proved to be popular. “While bidding on our multiple platforms was spirited as usual in this auction, with many international buyers, it was especially heightened during our first-ever focused, stand-alone catalogue of Latin American Art, where we set a record for any lithograph by Diego Rivera, and records for color Mixografia prints by Rufino Tamayo,” remarked Todd Weyman, vice president and director of prints and drawings.
Highlights included two 1932 lithographs by Diego Rivera: “Zapata,” which brought $45,000 to a collector, a record for any print by the artist, and “El Sueño” (La Noche de los Pobres), which earned $27,500, going to a collector. Mixografia prints by Rufino Tamayo found success with “Dos Personajes atacados por Perros,” 1983, selling for $23,400, and a record was set for “Sandias con Manzana,” 1985, at $22,100.
A run of works by Pablo Picasso included the 1934 aquatint “Garçon et Dormeuse à la Chandelle” ($35,000); the 1934 portfolio, “Lysistrata,” with a complete set of six etchings ($31,200); “Tête de Femme,” lithograph, 1954 ($21,250, a record for the print); and “Sueño y Mentira de Franco,” 1937, a pair of etchings representing the artist’s earliest political work ($18,750).
Records for Joan Miró color aquatints included “Danseuse Créole,” 1978, at $35,000 and “L’Etranglé,” 1974, at $27,500. The 1947 color pochoir print “L’Enterrement de Pierrot” by Henri Matisse set a record at $27,500, and Escher’s classic woodcut, “Sky and Water I,” 1938, earned $31,200.
The top lot in the sale was George Stubbs’ “Two Tygers” (or A Tiger and a Sleeping Leopard), etching, 1788, which garnered a record for the subject at $45,000. Also of note was James A. M. Whistler’s etching “Long Venice,” 1879-80, which brought $20,000.
To learn more, call 212-254-4710.