On September 17, Swann Auction Galleries will kick off New York’s fall auction season with its 19th & 20th Century Art sale. The auction will offer more than 200 lots, including American paintings, sculpture and works on paper, as well as a selection of Latin American and European works.
“Combining the artworks lets us be more creative in the way we present our sales,” says Swann fine art specialist Meagan Gandolfo. The 19th & 20th Century Art sale is framed as a fluid cross-continental dialogue across the artistic periods, which celebrates a throughline instead of cordoning artworks into distinct separate categories. Holding a biannual sale also accommodates our clients who seek out this material more than once a year.”
Charles Burchfield (1893-1967), Poplars in May (Between Two Poplars), 1916. Gouache, watercolor and pencil on paper, 201⁄8 x 14 in. Estimate: $30/50,000
Among the American art highlights is a suite of three works on paper by Charles Burchfield (1893-1967) from a pivotal time early in the artist’s career. With an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000, Poplars in May, 1916, depicts Cleveland’s Wade Park in gouache, watercolor and pencil, “and bears color notes within the composition, before Burchfield abandoned this practice,” notes the sale release. A Little Cabin (Statesburg, S.C.) and Dead Pine Branch, each valued at $10,000 to $15,000, and both from 1918, reflect Burchfield’s sensitivity to his local surroundings while stationed in Camp Jackson, South Carolina.
“Swann’s fine art department evolved to what it is today out of the company’s roots in offering works on paper,” says Gandolfo. “Though we’ve expanded our offerings exponentially, I think that this is a category we continue to thrive in.”
Charles Burchfield (1893-1967), A Little Cabin (Statesburg, S.C.), 1918. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in. Estimate: $10/15,000
Additional works of note are paintings by Oliver Ingraham Lay (1845-1890) and Fidelia Bridges (1834-1923), who has seen a resurgence of interest in her work in recent years. According the auction house, “The two artists were close friends, especially during Lay’s last years. Lay’s After the Storm is an exceptional example of his work and was acclaimed when it debuted in 1869. Bridges’ Forsythia, circa 1910, demonstrates her expertise in painting elegant, intricate details.” Both works are expected to fetch between $8,000 and $12,000.
Gandolfo also points to “a small, dynamic watercolor by Paul Cadmus which is a preparatory work for his 1936 Venus and Adonis oil. Swann sold this oil painting in June 2015,” she says, “and it seems like a full-circle moment also offering a work so intimately linked with the final oil.”
Fidelia Bridges (1834-1923), Forsythia, 1910. Watercolor and gouache on paper, 9¾ x 18 in. Estimate: $8/12,000
Will Barnet (1912-2012), Untitled (Extended Family), ca. 1940-50. Oil on canvas, 18 x 30 in. Estimate: $6/9,000
As to what sets Swann sales apart, Gandolfo says, “Large, important works tend to draw in collectors who are new to Swann, but our seasoned clients have come to know this sale as an exciting opportunity to bid on rare works by very talented artists who are not household names. Collectors who want to discover their new favorite artist, as well as bid on top names, should check out this auction.” —
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