Swann Galleries Leads the American Print Auction Market, Sets Records for Several Artists
New York—Swann Galleries continues to be the market leader for prints by American artists at auction. The March 5 sale of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings offered an exceptional selection of works by celebrated New York City printmaker Martin Lewis, other American artists and Modern European masters.
Examples by Lewis included some so scarce, they’d never appeared at auction before, such as his The “El” Station, drypoint, 1919, which set a benchmark at $47,500*. Beating previous auction records was Martin’s Glow of the City, drypoint, 1929, at $52,500 and Bay Windows, drypoint and sandpaper ground, 1929, at $30,000.
Another city view setting a new auction record was Louis Lozowick’s Hanover Square, lithograph, 1929, $27,500.
Printed by Pablo Picasso led the 20th century European portion of the sale, with Tête de Femme (Portrait de Jacqueline de Face, II), color linoleum cut, 1962, being the top lot at $93,750, while Tête de Jeune Fille, lithograph, 1947 and La Dame à la Collerette (Portrait de Jacqueline à la fraise), color linoleum cut, 1962, sold for $68,750 and $52,500 respectively.
Joan Miró’s Le Permissionaire, color aquatint and etching, 1974, sold for a record $47,500 and Gerald Brockhurst’s Adolescence, etching, 1932, brought a record price of $25,000; while strong prices were achieved for original works including Jean Dufy’s Bateax á voile au Havre, oil on canvas, at $32,500; ?douard Vuillard’s Femme assise en Intérieur, color pastels on paper, mounted to canvas, circa 1930s, $40,000 and Paul Klee’s Clown und Tier, pencil drawing, 1933, $25,000.
From the 19th century were Félix Vallotton’s La Paresse, woodcut, 1896, $52,500; Paul Cézanne’s Les Baigneurs (grande planche), color lithograph, circa 1896-98, $42,500; and Paul Gauguin’s Sirène et Dieu Marin, color woodcut, circa 1895-1901, $31,200.
For complete results, an illustrated catalogue with prices realized (on request) is available for $40 in the U.S. ($50 internationally) from Swann Galleries, Inc., 104 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010, or online at www.swanngalleries.com.
For further information, and to propose consignments to Swann’s upcoming auctions of Works of Art on paper, please contact Todd Weyman at (212) 254-4710, extension 32, or via e-mail at tweyman@swanngalleries.com.
*All prices include buyer’s premium.
First image: Martin Lewis,The “El” Station, drypoint, 1919. Sold for $47,500 (including buyer’s premium) in its first appearance at auction.
Second image: Louis Lozowick, Hanover Square, lithograph, 1929. Sold for a record $27,500 (including buyer’s premium).
