NEW YORK, NY.- Swann Galleries will conduct two significant auctions six days apart, with Old Master Through Modern Prints on October 30, and The Armory Show at 100 on November 5.
Among the Old Masters in the October 30 auction are selections from the Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, sold to benefit future acquisitions, including two of Albrecht Dürers master engravings (or meisterstiche) from 1514, St. Jerome in His Study, full of luminous detail and biographical elements from the life of the artist's favorite saint (estimate: $70,000 to $100,000), and Melencolia I, the heavily symbolic work thats transfixed viewers for nearly 500 years ($80,000 to $120,000). The two prints were made in the same year, and were often sold together in Dürer's lifetime.
Examples by Rembrandt van Rijn in the museums 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 Goyas 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. Whistlers 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 Émile Bernards 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 Bentons 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 Picassos Garçon et Dormeuse a la Chandelle, aquatint and etching, 1934 ($25,000 to $35,000); Henri Matisses Masque au Petit Nez, aquatint, 1948 ($20,000 to $30,000); Paul Klees Der Verliebte, color lithograph, 1923 ($20,000 to $30,000); Marc Chagalls Then the boy displayed to the Dervish, color lithograph, 1948 ($20,000 to $30,000); Salvador Dalís LEnfant sauterelle, engraving, 1933 ($15,000 to $20,000); and Henry Moores 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 Maurers 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 Lawsons 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 Monets Egalité, circa 1855 ($10,000 to $15,000); Abraham Walkowitzs New York (City Abstraction), 1909 ($8,000 to $12,000); and Max Webers Womens Heads, circa 1910-12 ($15,000 to $20,000).
Among rare lithographs are Whistlers The Little Nude, Reading, 1889-90 ($30,000 to $50,000); Edgar Degass Femme nue devant à sa toilette, 1891-92, one of approximately 12 impressions in this state ($175,000 to $200,000); Paul Cézannes Les Baigneurs (grand planche), 1896-97 ($15,000 to $20,000); Paul Signacs Le Dimanche Parisien, 1887 ($12,000 to $18,000); Fernand Legers La Vase, 1927 ($20,000 to $30,000) and Stuart Daviss Sixth Avenue El, 1931 ($40,000 to $60,000).
Etchings include Mary Cassatts Feeding the Ducks, circa 1894 ($80,000 to $120,000); Pablo Picassos Tête dHomme à la Pipe, 1912 ($15,000 to $20,000); Georges Braques finest print, Etude de Nu, 1907-08 ($35,000 to $50,000); a superb impression of Edvard Munchs Der Kuss, 1895 ($150,000 to $200,000); Marcel Duchamps La Mariée, 1934 ($12,000 to $18,000) and John Marins Woolworth Building (The Dance), 1913 ($80,000 to $120,000).
Sculptural highlights include Alexander Archipenkos 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.