Artist Record for H.A. Volodimer in Winter 2021 Sale of Vintage Posters
Our winter 2021 offering of Vintage Posters on February 18 saw the highest recent sell-through rate of the house’s large biannual sale in the category, “This is particularly gratifying under the circumstances in which auctions are being carried out during the COVID-19 era. The sale covered a variety of different collecting areas— Art Nouveau, ski, travel, food and beverage, and we set records on a number of different posters across the genres offered. Most impressive was that we sold 92% of the ski posters offered, which is far and away a company record,” noted Nicholas D. Lowry, specialist for the sale and president of Swann.
Artist Records
An artist record was set for H.A. Volodimer with Grand Prix d’Endurance de 24 Heures / Coupe Rudge – Whitworth, 1923, at $15,000; and Roger de Valerio’s Air France / Dans Tous Les Ciels, 1935, brought the highest price paid for the work at auction with $5,000. Additional poster records included Henry le Monnier’s Source Verdier, 1931, at $4,000; and a 1930s advertisement for travel to Zion National Park in Utah via the Union Pacific Railroad, at $3,000.
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau led the sale with Manuel Orazi’s 1900 design for La Maison Moderne—the preeminent art and home décore store of the day dedicated to Art Nouveau—at $37,500. Master of the movement Alphonse Mucha was present with Tragique Histoire d’Hamlet / Sarah Bernhardt, 1899 ($17,500); and Zodiac / P. Ploton & D. Chave, 1898 ($10,625). Also of note was L’Estampe Moderne, a complete set of 100 plates in 24 fasicles, 1897–99 ($17,500).
Ski and Winter Posters
The successful ski and winter poster selection included two poster records for Peter Ewart’s Canadian Rockies via Canadian Pacific, circa 1950, at $4,250, and Sascha Maurer’s Ski at Lake Placid, 1938, at $4,750. Also of note was Augustus Moser’s 1936 advertisement for skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho via the Union Pacific railway ($8,125), as well as Emil Cardinaux’s Zermatt / Matterhorn Schweiz, 1908 ($13,750), and Palace Hotel / St. Moritz, 1920 ($9,375).