Swann Galleries’ winter offering of vintage posters saw the highest recent sell-through rate of the house’s large biannual sale in the category. “This is particularly gratifying under the circumstances in which auctions are being carried out during the COVID-19 era. The sale covered a variety of different collecting areas, Art Nouveau, ski, travel, food and beverage, and we set records on a number of different posters across the genres offered. Most impressive was that we sold 92 percent of the ski posters offered, which is far and away a company record,” noted Nicholas D. Lowry, specialist for the sale and president of Swann.
An artist record was set for H.A. Volodimer with “Grand Prix d’Endurance de 24 Heures / Coupe Rudge – Whotworth,” 1923, at $15,000, and Roger de Valerio’s “Air France / Dans Tous Les Ciels,” 1935, brought the highest price paid for the work at auction with $5,000. Additional poster records included Henry le Monnier’s “Source Verdier,” 1931, at $4,000, and a 1930s advertisement for travel to Zion National Park in Utah via the Union Pacific Railroad, at $3,000.
Art Nouveau led the sale with Manuel Orazi’s 1900 design for “La Maison Moderne,” the preeminent art and home décore store of the day dedicated to Art Nouveau, selling for $37,500. Master of the movement Alphonse Mucha was present with “Tragique Histoire d’Hamlet / Sarah Bernhardt,” 1899 ($17,500), and “Zodiac / P. Ploton & D. Chave,” 1898 ($10,625). Also of note was “L’Estampe Moderne,” a complete set of 100 plates in 24 fasicles, 1897–99. They realized $17,500.
The successful ski and winter poster selection included two poster records for Peter Ewart’s “Canadian Rockies via Canadian Pacific,” ca. 1950, at $4,250, and Sascha Maurer’s “Ski at Lake Placid,” 1938, at $4,750. Also of note was Augustus Moser’s 1936 advertisement for skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho, via the Union Pacific railway ($8,125), as well as Emil Cardinaux’s “Zermatt / Matterhorn Schweiz,” 1908 ($13,750), and “Palace Hotel / St. Moritz,” 1920, selling for $9,375.
For additional information, including the auction house’s sale schedule, visit www.swanngalleries.com.