Dali, Gorey, Fashion Pochoirs at Swann Galleries October 1
New York—On Wednesday, October 1, Swann Galleries will offer a visually rich selection of works from the late 19th- and early 20th-century European art movements that pioneered new illustration methods, including chromolithography and pochoir, in an auction of Art, Press & Illustrated Books.
There is an enviable selection of works by the Surrealists, specifically a large group of books by Salvador Dalí, including one of only 10 copies of Poèmes de Mao Tse-Toung, with eight heliogravures reworked in drypoint, each hand-colored and signed by Dalí, Paris, 1967 (estimate: $15,000 to $25,000); and a first edition (one of 25 roman numbered copies) of Pages choisies de Don Quichotte de la Manche. 12 original lithographs, Paris, 1957 ($25,000 to $35,000).
From Art Nouveau through Secession and Art Deco, books on ornament, decoration, fashion, poster art and design abound. Master colorist Jean Saudé and his workshop produced brightly colored pochoirs for artists including Edouard Benedictus, Umberto Brunelleschi, Raymond Charmaison, Georges Lepape and Léon Moussinac, all of whom are represented.
There is a complete set of 79 volumes of the French fashion journal Des Dames Et Des Modes, with pochoir plates by Barbier, Lepape, Brunelleschi and many others, Paris, 1912-14 ($8,000 to $10,000); a mixed set of all 11 issues of La Guirlande. Album mensuel d'Art et de Littérature. one of the rarest art deco revues edited by Brunelleschi, with 407 plates, Paris, 1919-20 ($7,000 to $10,000) and George Barbier’s Falbalas et Fanfreluches. Almanach des modes présentes, passées, et futures, five volumes with 47 pochoir plates, Paris, 1922-26 ($6,000 to $9,000).
Art Nouveau and Vienna Secession works of note include Alphonse Mucha's stunningly beautiful masterpiece of book illustration Ilsée Princesse de Tripoli, with 132 color lithographed illustrations and borders surrounding the text, one of only 35 printed on China paper with an extra suite in black and white, Paris, 1897 ($6,000 to $9,000) and a portfolio of 17 color linoleum cuts for toys by students of Josef Hoffmann at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule, 1922 ($5,000 to $7,500).
A fine selection of curiosa features the work of Gerda Wegener, well known for her erotic illustrations filled with lesbian themes, which often had a domino mask symbol in the lower right or left of each image instead of a signature. Wegener is also known for her marriage to transsexual Lili Elbe, who underwent the first known sex reassignment surgery in history in 1930. Among her works in the sale are one of only 12 copies on Japan of Eric Allatini’s Sur Talons Rouges, with 25 engraved plates and an original watercolor by Wegener, Paris, 1929; and original Illustrations, Faisons un Rêve, watercolor, pen and ink with wash of a female harlequin lounging on a plush divan while a cloud of maidens drops roses upon her, circa 1920; and Faun and Kissing Couple, a watercolor, pen, and ink of a woman in a fanciful ball gown being intimately held and kissed on the forehead by a female harlequin while a young faun plays the piano, Paris, 1918 (each $4,000 to $6,000).
Fans of master of the macabre Edward Gorey will find more limited editions and graphic work from the collection of Sam Speigel.
The auction will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Wdnesday, October 1. The items will be on public exhibition Saturday, Sptember 27 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, September 29 and Tuesday, September 30, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Wednesday, October 1, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
An illustrated catalogue, with information on bidding by mail or fax, is available for $35 from Swann Galleries, Inc., 104 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010, or online at www.swanngalleries.com.
For further information, and to make advance arrangements to bid by telephone during the auction, please contact Christine von der Linn at (212) 254-4710, extension 20, or via e-mail at cvonderlinn@swanngalleries.com.
Live online bidding is available via Invaluable. Click on the Invaluable link on the swanngalleries.com homepage.
First image: Salvador Dalí, Pages choisies de Don Quichotte de la Manche, Paris, 1957 (estimate: $25,000 to $35,000).
Second image: Original illustration by Gerda Wegener, watercolor, pen, and ink on paper, Paris, 1918 (estimate: $4,000 to $6,000).
