On Tuesday, March 13, Swann Galleries will offer a superlative auction of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings, featuring original artworks and scarce multiples by some of the most influential artists of the last 200 years.
Following
the house’s record-breaking autumn sale of
Edward Hopper’s 1923 print The Lonely House for $317,000,
Swann will offer an even more scarce etching by the master:
House by a River, 1919, an early example of his theme of isolation. Only one other copy of this print, which depicts a still-extant house in Nyack, NY, has appeared at auction in the last 30 years. The work carries an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000.
Edward Hopper’s 1923 print The Lonely House for $317,000,
Swann will offer an even more scarce etching by the master:
House by a River, 1919, an early example of his theme of isolation. Only one other copy of this print, which depicts a still-extant house in Nyack, NY, has appeared at auction in the last 30 years. The work carries an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000.
Hopper’s
mentor Martin Lewis is well represented in the auction with a
selection of the gritty
urban views for which he is known.
Bedford Street Gang, 1935, leads the pack at $15,000 to $20,000.
Additional highlights include an extremely rare circa 1930 charcoal drawing titled
New York Nocturne, previously in the collection of the artist’s widow, with an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000, and the scarce etching
Manhattan Lights, 1931 ($12,000 to $18,000).
From the same period comes the complete set of Six American Etchings, Series I, 1924, published as a promotion for subscribers of the New Republic, with works by Peggy Bacon, Ernest Haskell, Hopper, John Marin, Hayes Miller and John Sloan:
Six American Etchings: The New Republic Portfolio 1924
The complete set of six etchings, as issued in 1924, containing Marin’s rare Brooklyn Bridge No. 6 (Swaying), which appeared in only a few sets before being substituted by
Marin’s Downtown the El (Zigrosser 134).
The set includes:
Peggy Bacon (1895–1987), The Promenade Deck, 1920 (Flint 47), 6 x 8 3/8 inches
Ernest Haskell (1876–1925), The Sentinels of North Creek, ca. 1923, 5 x 7 7/8 inches
Edward Hopper (1882–1967), Night Shadows, 1921 (Levin 82) 7 x 8 3/8 inches
John Marin (1870–1953), Brooklyn Bridge No. 6 (Swaying), 1913 (Zigrosser 112) 10 ¾ x 8 ¾ inches
Hayes Miller (1876–1952), Play, 1919, 4 7/8 x 5 7/8 inches
John Sloan (1871–1951), Bandit’s Cave, 1920 (Morse 195), 7 x 5 inches
Bedford Street Gang, 1935, leads the pack at $15,000 to $20,000.
Additional highlights include an extremely rare circa 1930 charcoal drawing titled
New York Nocturne, previously in the collection of the artist’s widow, with an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000, and the scarce etching
Manhattan Lights, 1931 ($12,000 to $18,000).
From the same period comes the complete set of Six American Etchings, Series I, 1924, published as a promotion for subscribers of the New Republic, with works by Peggy Bacon, Ernest Haskell, Hopper, John Marin, Hayes Miller and John Sloan:
Six American Etchings: The New Republic Portfolio 1924
Six American Etchings: The New Republic Portfolio 1924
The complete set of six etchings, as issued in 1924, containing Marin’s rare Brooklyn Bridge No. 6 (Swaying), which appeared in only a few sets before being substituted by
The set includes:
Peggy Bacon (1895–1987), The Promenade Deck, 1920 (Flint 47), 6 x 8 3/8 inches
Ernest Haskell (1876–1925), The Sentinels of North Creek, ca. 1923, 5 x 7 7/8 inches
Edward Hopper (1882–1967), Night Shadows, 1921 (Levin 82) 7 x 8 3/8 inches
John Marin (1870–1953), Brooklyn Bridge No. 6 (Swaying), 1913 (Zigrosser 112) 10 ¾ x 8 ¾ inches
Hayes Miller (1876–1952), Play, 1919, 4 7/8 x 5 7/8 inches
John Sloan (1871–1951), Bandit’s Cave, 1920 (Morse 195), 7 x 5 inches
This
set includes Hopper’s Night
Shadows,
which is often removed from the group ($30,000 to $50,000).
The auction is
distinguished by an
array of unique works by notable artists. An exceptionally early
drawing by Claude Monet of
Maison au toit de chaume, Gainneville, 1857 (when the artist was only 16), carries an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000.
Two figurative pencil drawings by Amadeo Modigliani will also be offered: Femme nue, trois quarts, debout, circa 1915, and Femme nue, circa 1915 ($50,000 to $80,000 and $40,000 to $60,000, respectively). Georges Braque is represented by a gouache and watercolor painting, Femme au bicyclette, 1920-22 ($20,000 to $30,000. A Futurist-cum-Deco painting by Fortunato Depero of New York, 1930, will be offered with an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000.
Maison au toit de chaume, Gainneville, 1857 (when the artist was only 16), carries an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000.
Two figurative pencil drawings by Amadeo Modigliani will also be offered: Femme nue, trois quarts, debout, circa 1915, and Femme nue, circa 1915 ($50,000 to $80,000 and $40,000 to $60,000, respectively). Georges Braque is represented by a gouache and watercolor painting, Femme au bicyclette, 1920-22 ($20,000 to $30,000. A Futurist-cum-Deco painting by Fortunato Depero of New York, 1930, will be offered with an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000.
Interest in Latin
American art has
led to a larger offering of works by popular artists from the
region, including
José Clemente Orozco, David A. Siqueiros and Rufino Tamayo, as
well as
paintings by early Mexican modernists.
An especially rich offering of prints by Diego Rivera includes each of the three works regarded as the finest lithographs by artist, all from 1932.
Zapata, a portrait of the revolutionary, carries an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000, while Frutos de la Escuela is valued at $20,000 to $30,000. The scarce El sueño (La noche de los pobres) has been seen at auction only ten times in the last 30 years ($20,000 to $30,000).
An especially rich offering of prints by Diego Rivera includes each of the three works regarded as the finest lithographs by artist, all from 1932.
Zapata, a portrait of the revolutionary, carries an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000, while Frutos de la Escuela is valued at $20,000 to $30,000. The scarce El sueño (La noche de los pobres) has been seen at auction only ten times in the last 30 years ($20,000 to $30,000).
Pablo Picasso is well
represented
with prints, ceramics and even a drawing. The selection is led
by the
elegant
lithograph La Colombe,
1949, with an
estimate of $50,000 to $80,000. Fine terre de faïence ceramic
works include an
unusually tall partially glazed vase with anthropomorphic forms
and a pitcher
titled Flower Women,
1948 (each
$20,000 to $30,0000). Finally, Profile
d’Homme Vert, 1956, in striking green crayon is valued at
$8,000 to
$12,000.