A collection of over 50 rare, original propaganda posters will be auctioned on Sunday, Oct. 28, by Poster Auctions International Inc. (PAI) as part of the firm’s Rare Poster Auction #76. The collection includes World Wars I and II, the inter-war period, the beginnings of the Cold War, the Cuban Revolution and more.
The sale overall will feature 475 lots, to include lithographs, maquettes, oil paintings and illustrations, plus rare books, with item estimates ranging from $500 to $350,000, a wide range catering to all levels of the market, from beginner collectors to advanced veterans. The sale will be held online at www.posterauctions.com and in its gallery, located at 26 W. 17th St. in New York City, in lower Manhattan, starting at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.
Artists in the catalog will be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the genre and will include iconic giants such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, A. M. Cassandre, Alphonse Mucha, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, H. R. Hopps, James Montgomery Flagg, Howard Chandler Christy, Jules Cheret, Leonetto Cappiello, El Lissitzky, Theophile Steinlen and Yokoo. Most of the posters and maquettes will be from the Belle Epoque and Art Deco periods.
“The propaganda poster collection is of great importance,” said Jack Rennert, president of Poster Auctions International Inc. “The issues we’re dealing with today, as a society, are little different from those of a century ago, conflicts over gender roles, economic inequality, rapid political change, ethnic violence, and anti-semitism among them.”
Direct messaging of propaganda pioneered a century ago is a fascinating area of study in which posters play a role. “The public appreciates history, such as it does, in terms of battles, elections, social movements, and world leaders. The historical role of media is less of a consideration,” added Rennert.
In part, Rennert said, that’s because it’s transitory, of the moment, meant primarily for impact in the instant of eyeballing. “That constitutes a fundamental gap in our cultural memory, and in the historical record,” he said. “It’s why original poster art is so important and why this collection is of the utmost interest, not just to ‘affichomaniacs,’ as poster enthusiasts are often called, but also to anyone working at the intersection of media, culture and society.”
The propaganda collection includes multiple famous works by James Montgomery Flagg (e.g. “I Want You for U.S. Army”) and Howard Chandler Christy (e.g. “Gee! I Wish I Were a Man”), the two most prominent American posterists of the first World War. The entire collection, though, delves far beyond that. When browsing the catalog, bidders will see the dialogue between the competing socialist parties of post-WWI Europe; the sparking and inflaming of anti-semitic sentiment during the inter-war period; the various modes of American propaganda; post-WWI humanitarian outreach; propaganda in Vichy France; and rare work by Fidel Castro’s chief propaganda artist.
Highlights from the auction overall include Toulouse-Lautrec’s first poster, the 1891 “Moulin Rouge/La Goulue,” which established the artist’s worldwide fame (est. $300,000-$350,000), plus numerous other famous and rare Lautrecs, including “Le Jockey” (est. $40,000-$50,000); “P. Sescau / Photographe” ($60,000-$70,000); and “L’Anglais au Moulin Rouge,” rarely seen on open market (est. $100,000-$120,000).
From A. M. Cassandre will come four separate prints of his world-famous Art Deco triumph, “Normandie,” all from the opulent ocean liner’s inaugural cruise year of 1935, with slightly different text variants. It’s the first time all four 1935 lithographs have been offered simultaneously (est. $10,000-$18,000).
Thirty posters, decorative panels, maquettes and other material by Alphonse Mucha will come up for bid, including special printings of the 1897 and 1900 “The Seasons” set (est. $10,000-$40,000), and the finest specimen of the 1897 “Monaco-Monte-Carlo” PAI has ever seen (est. $17,000-$20,000). Also sold will be an especially high quality lithograph of Bernhardt’s “Lorenzaccio” (est. $14,000-$17,000).
To learn more, visit www.rennertsgallery.com.