“The alternative current of expression that informed some before it became mainstream.” The Subculture Sale will bring works from the fringe, the avant garde and the indie for a look at the material culture of Punk, Rock, Psych, Hip Hop, Jazz and more. An interdisciplinary sale, this auction will include posters, records, photographs, fine art, autographs, books and ephemera. Fans of Swann’s similar auctions (LGBTQ+, Focus on Women and African Americana) will enjoy its contents, as will longtime New Yorkers, music aficionados, and collectors of the contemporary. While some of the material ..read more

Swann Galleries continued to offer exceptional auctions of quality material in 2023. The year featured several collections, including a special selection of 100 works from the Stephen White collection in the April sale of Fine Photographs, the collection of Norman Dolph in the June sale of Contemporary Art, and works from the estate of artist Will Barnet in the September auction of American Art. The house also welcomed two new specialists into the fold: Corey Serrant joined Swann as the associate director of LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History, as well as serving as a specialist for the ..read more

The August 17, 2023, LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History auction was a testament to the growing interest in the newly defined area of collecting. In keeping with previous years, the material represented a broad and exciting swath of nineteenth and twentieth-century political, social, and sexual culture. “Robust bidding and consistent sales led to a strong hammer during a cool market. Paintings from Hugh Steers, Keith Haring prints, and David Wojnarowicz photographs led the auction. I am especially pleased to set a new high record for Jimmy De Sana with his Suburban series. Th ..read more

At Auction August 17: Gay Pride Parade, A small group of 11 photographs documenting early Pride Marches in New York City, including the first ever in 1970, circa 1970-71. When you think of queer photography what images come to mind? For a lot of people photographers like Robert Mapplethorpe or Peter Hujar come up, especially their more provocative works. This is of course a large part of queer history within images—great examples are beefcake and S&M photography—but this isn’t the only thing queer photographers have to offer to the medium. I wanted to highlight some of the tenderness and ..read more

Hugh Steers, In the Paper, oil on canvas, 1989. Estimate $40,000 to $60,000. This summer’s LGBTQ+ auction is a testament to the growing interest in the newly defined area of collecting. As in previous auctions the material represents a broad and exciting swath of nineteenth and twentieth century political, social and sexual culture. Keith Haring, Silence = Death, color screenprint, 1989. Estimate $30,000 to $40,000. On offer are a number of original works of art by Tom of Finland and other artists associated with or influenced by him: including Sadao Hasegawa and Jim French. We are al ..read more

2022 was a historic year for Swann in more ways than one. The house celebrated its 80th year of auctions, bringing with it the 70th anniversary of the first photography auction to be held, not only at Swann, but in the United States; the top-grossing season in the house’s history for the spring of 2022; a selection private collections were offered, including the complete collection of bibliophile Ken Rapoport and special collections of Edward Hopper and MC Escher; and a farewell to Christine von der Linn, who paved the way for Swann’s Illustration Art department among other exciting moments. H ..read more

View Lots Browse Catalogue Lot 132: Tom of Finland, Portrait of Eric, graphite, 1985. Estimate $20,000 to $30,000. This August, Swann is proud to host its fourth annual, LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History sale. The success of our first three auctions stands as part of the art historical record, but that has become even more apparent with the incredible amount of material consigned to our upcoming sale. Original artwork by Tom of Finland includes, Portrait of Eric, which comes along with correspondence (two autograph letters) from the artist to the person who commissioned the artwork ..read more

Fall 2021 – Winter/Spring 2022: Swann Galleries’ Top Grossing Season in 80-Year History The winter-spring auction season at Swann is a masterclass in marathon training, and the 2022 iteration proved no different with 20 auctions held between late January and the middle of August. In February we celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the first auction dedicated to photographs, not only at Swann, but in the United States; the season saw the success of the second iterations of The Artists of the WPA and Focus on Women; private collections featured throughout the first half of the year including offer ..read more

Decoding “Beefcake” The term “beefcake” usually refers to a photographic display of muscular male physiques and is believed to have been first formally coined by Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky in 1949. The beefcake aesthetic has been largely promoted in male physique magazines, but also by Hollywood as it realized the public’s interest, and by extension its lucrative benefits. As a result, movies began featuring handsome men with muscular attributes. In relation to the term “cheesecake”, which described beautifully built women, the appellation “beefcake” to describe equally well-built men ..read more

Swann’s LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History sale represents a rare and unusual opportunity to bring fresh material to auction. In a market dominated by the male gaze, work by trans and cisgender women and nonbinary practitioners offers a crucial viewpoint, one that photography can play a role in amplifying and contextualizing. This year, we are pleased to offer work by JEB, Shelby Sharie Cohen, Phyllis Christopher, Del LaGrace Volcano, and Laurence Jaugey-Paget. These photographs were made for the purposes of documentation, publication, and self-representation, and are in this sense imm ..read more