NEW YORK, N.Y.- On Thursday, December 15
Swann Galleries will offer an unprecedented single-owner sale of The Complete Poster Works of Roger Broders, the celebrated travel poster artist whose name is synonymous with French Art Deco. Not only is this the first time that all of Broderss work, including previously unknown variants and non-travel images, has come to auction, it is the first time the complete works of any poster artist have been offered at one time. The posters comprise an outstanding private collection that is remarkable for its range and for the fine condition of most of the pieces.
Being surrounded by all of these stunning posters was glorious and uplifting, said Nicholas D. Lowry, Swann President and Director of the Poster Department, It is like seeing France as it hasnt been seen since the 1920s. To see them in person, all in once place, is an exceptional opportunity for anyone who appreciates vintage posters.
Best known for the 65 images he created for the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée Railway (PLM), Broders also designed posters for car companies, lotteries and other railway lines. The 100 lots in this sale are presented chronologically by printing date, and offer a view into how Broderss work evolved from 1920 to 1935, when he stopped designing posters.
Among the most sought-after examples of his work are images depicting glamorous men and women enjoying the beaches and nightlife of the Cote dAzur. These include views of languid sunbathers in La Plage de Calvi Corse, 1928 (estimate: $8,000 to $12,000); Antibes, circa 1928, with a variation advertising a local casino in Juan-les-Pins (each $10,000 to $15,000); and Agay, 1928 ($5,000 to $7,500), and smartly dressed visitors enjoying the views in Vichy / Comité des Fêtes, circa 1928 ($15,000 to $20,000) and Dunkerque, circa 1930 ($20,000 to $30,000).
Sports-themed images include hikers in Le Mont-Blanc / Chamonix, circa 1924 ($5,000 to $7,500); a female golfer in Vichy, 1928 ($8,000 to $12,000); Golf de la Soukra Tunis, 1932 ($4,000 to $6,000); and tennis enthusiasts in St. Honoré les Bains, circa 1928 ($5,000 to $7,500); Lys-Chantilly, circa 1928 ($3,000 to $4,000); and Monte-Carlo, circa 1930 ($15,000 to $30,000).
Broders also created several iconic ski posters, such as Winter Sports in the French Alps, circa 1929, promoting the Mont-Blanc railway, the highest altitude railway in France ($8,000 to $12,000); Les Sports dHiver dans les Vosges, circa 1930, in which a skier goes so fast his clothing becomes a blur ($7,000 to $10,000); Les Sports dHiver / St. Pierre de Chartreuse, 1930, depicting a crowd watching a bobsled team whoosh downhill ($8,000 to $12,000); a blonde womanbased on Broderss wifeon the slopes in Le Hohwald, circa 1930 ($3,000 to $4,000); and Chamonix Mt. Blanc, 1930, depicting an ice hockey game at the site of the first Winter Olympics, held in 1924 ($6,000 to $9,000).
There are stunning landscape posters, employing Broderss signature ability to capture depths-of-field, including sunlit views of the ships docking in Marseille, circa 1922 ($3,000 to $4,000), and 1929 ($7,000 to $10,000); the snow-covered peaks of La Chaine du Mont-Blanc, 1924 ($4,000 to $6,000); the palm trees and sailboats of Sainte-Maxime, 1928 ($5,000 to $7,500); and an incredible find, a group of 17 printers proofs of his poster for Jura. Environs de Pontarlier, which offer insight into the complex nature of lithographic printing, 1930 ($3,000 to $4,000).
Broders also designed posters for Baghdad, Florence, India and Rome, as well as non-travel specific advertisements for Peugeot, with Gatsby-esque couples riding with the top down, 1923 ($2,000 to $3,000); and Loterie des Régions Libéréres, 1934 ($1,000 to $1,500).