Two Upcoming Swann Galleries Auctions Devoted to Prints and Drawings

Examples by Rembrandt van Rijn in the museum’s collection include Bearded Man in a Velvet Cap with a Jewel Clasp, etching, 1637 ($8,000 o $12,000); Faust, etching and drypoint, circa 1652 ($7,000 to $10,000); and Christ Healing the Sick (The Hundred Guilder Print), etching, engraving and drypoint, circa 1643-49 ($40,000 to $60,000).

Old Master highlights also include a complete set of Francisco José de Goya’s Los Caprichos, 80 etchings with aquatint, circa 1799 ($30,000 to $50,000).

A selection of 19th century prints features a warm impression of James A.M. Whistler’s Riva,No. 2, etching, 1879-80 ($12,000 to $18,000), and his lithograph The Garden Path, on Japan paper, 1894 ($10,000 to $15,000); in addition to works by William Blake, Alphonse Mucha, James Jacques Tissot, Anders Zorn and ?mile Bernard’s Le Cueillette des Pommes, zincograph with hand coloring in watercolor, 1889 ($10,000 to $15,000).

Among the American prints are stunning color woodcuts, Thomas Hart Benton’s country-life scenes, such as Wreck of the Ol’ 97, lithograph, 1944 ($12,000 to $18,000); luminous New York City views by Martin Lewis, including Rain on Murray Hill, drypoint, 1928 ($15,000 to $20,000) and Glow of the City, etching, 1929 ($20,000 to $30,000); a run of works by Paul Cadmus; and gritty, low-light images by Robert Riggs.

The October 30 auction concludes with excellent examples of European prints and portfolios, notably Pablo Picasso’s Garçon et Dormeuse a la Chandelle, aquatint and etching, 1934 ($25,000 to $35,000); Henri Matisse’s Masque au Petit Nez, aquatint, 1948 ($20,000 to $30,000); Paul Klee’s Der Verliebte, color lithograph, 1923 ($20,000 to $30,000); Marc Chagall’s Then the boy displayed to the Dervish, color lithograph, 1948 ($20,000 to $30,000); Salvador Dalí’s L’Enfant sauterelle, engraving, 1933 ($15,000 to $20,000); and Henry Moore’s Reclining Figures, complete set of six color lithographs, 1973 ($10,000 to $15,000).

The November 5 auction, titled The Armory Show at 100, marks the 100-year anniversary of the Armory Show, the groundbreaking 1913 exhibition held at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue, across 25th Street from Swann. 

Arguably the most important event in the history of modern American art, the Armory Show drastically altered the landscape of what Americans considered art, the styles that American artists chose to pursue and the American art market overall.

Swann's catalogue explores the layered history of the show, from its conception to its legacy, through 225+ prints, drawings, paintings and sculptures by the artists whose works appeared at the Armory a century ago.

Highlights include unique works, such as Alfred Maurer’s Fauve Nude, oil on canvas, 1906, which appeared at the Armory Show just months after the artist held his first solo American exhibition, and embodies Maurer at the height of his career ($60,000 to $80,000). Another significant painting is Ernest Lawson’s Divers and Gulls, oil on canvas, 1895 with a note signed by the artist concerning the sale of the painting ($20,000 to $30,000).

There are also fine watercolors including Claude Monet’s Egalité, circa 1855 ($10,000 to $15,000); Abraham Walkowitz’s New York (City Abstraction), 1909 ($8,000 to $12,000); and Max Weber’s Womens Heads, circa 1910-12 ($15,000 to $20,000).

Among rare lithographs are Whistler’s The Little Nude, Reading, 1889-90 ($30,000 to $50,000); Edgar Degas’s Femme nue devant à sa toilette, 1891-92, one of approximately 12 impressions in this state ($175,000 to $200,000); Paul Cézanne’s Les Baigneurs (grand planche), 1896-97 ($15,000 to $20,000); Paul Signac’s Le Dimanche Parisien, 1887 ($12,000 to $18,000); Fernand Leger’s La Vase, 1927 ($20,000 to $30,000) and Stuart Davis’s Sixth Avenue El, 1931 ($40,000 to $60,000).

Etchings include Mary Cassatt’s Feeding the Ducks, circa 1894 ($80,000 to $120,000); Pablo Picasso’s Tête d’Homme à la Pipe, 1912 ($15,000 to $20,000); Georges Braque’s finest print, Etude de Nu, 1907-08 ($35,000 to $50,000); a superb impression of Edvard Munch’s Der Kuss, 1895 ($150,000 to $200,000); Marcel Duchamp’s La Mariée, 1934 ($12,000 to $18,000) and John Marin’s Woolworth Building (The Dance), 1913 ($80,000 to $120,000).

Sculptural highlights include Alexander Archipenko’s White Torso, terra cotta, circa 1916-45 ($40,000 to $60,000).

Old Master Through Modern Prints will be auctioned on Wednesday, October 30 in two sessions starting at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The Armory Show at 100 auction will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5.

The works of art will be on public exhibition at Swann Galleries on Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, October 26, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, October 28 and Tuesday, October 29, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; with preview hours continuing for the Armory Show on Wednesday, October 30 through Friday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, November 2, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, November 4, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Tuesday, November 5, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Illustrated catalogue, with information on bidding by mail or fax, are available from Swann Galleries, Inc., 104 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010, and may be viewed online at www.swanngalleries.com.

For further information, and to make advance arrangements to bid by telephone during either auction, please contact Todd Weyman at (212) 254-4710, extension 32, or via e-mail at tweyman@swanngalleries.com.

Live online bidding is available via Artfact.com.

First image: Albrecht Dürer, St. Jerome in His Study, engraving, 1514, from the Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, sold to benefit future acquisitions. (Estimate: $70,000 to $100,000) At auction Oct. 30.

Second image: Alfred Maurer, Fauve Nude, oil on canvas, 1906. (Estimate: $60,000 to $80,000) At auction Nov 5.