The 90th Rare Posters Auction from Poster Auctions International on Tuesday, July 18, features rare and iconic images from a century of poster design. The collection includes Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modern and Contemporary lithographs, as well as decorative panels, maquettes and original works.
All 470 lots will be on view to the public June 29 to July 17. The auction will be held live in PAI’s gallery at 26 West 17th Street in New York City, as well as online at posterauctions.com, beginning promptly at 11 am Eastern time.
Jack Rennert, president of Poster Auctions International, Inc., said, “This milestone sale features a true constellation of great poster art, from the most sought-after works to never-before-seen masterpieces by the leaders of lithography. New and seasoned collectors alike will find something special in this auction.”
The auction will begin with 25 aviation posters, including a 1909 maquette by René Lelong, Meeting Aérien de Reims (est. $7,000-$9,000). Other notable lots include M. Dessoures’ 1910 Semaine d’Aviation / Caen (est. $8,000-$10,000) and Modern designs by David Klein and Otto Nielsen (ests. ranging from $1,000-$1,200).
Next, 24 designs for automobiles will be auctioned. Highlights include Walter Thor’s 1906 Darracq (est. $7,000-$9,000), Alexis Kow’s 1929 Grand Prix du Cap d’Antibes (est. $4,000-$5,000), and a collaborative maquette by A. M. Cassandre and Charles Loupot for Renault (est. $30,000-$40,000).
Also, 18 designs for bicycles will be offered; notable posters include Victor Mignot’s 1898 Le Cyclodrome (est. $4,000-$5,000), Alejandro de Riquer’s 1897 Salon Pedal (est. $3,000-$4,000), and five speedy designs for motorcycles (ests. ranging from $2,000-$4,000).
Collectors of War & Propaganda images will have 24 images to bid on. Classics include Luciano Achille Mauzan’s 1917 Credito Italiano (est. $2,000-$2,500), Howard Chandler Christy’s 1918 Gee!! I Wish I Were a Man (est. $1,700-$2,000), James Montgomery Flagg’s rare ca. 1917 Speed Up America (est. $8,000-$10,000), and August William Hutaf’s 1918 Treat ‘Em Rough / Join the Tanks (est. $2,000-$2,500).
Film buffs will delight in the collection of 12 historic images offered, from the incredible anonymous design for the 1913 release of Fantômas (est. $15,000-$20,000) to four images for Charlie Chaplin dating from 1915 to 1952 (ests. ranging $1,200-$2,000).
From Leonetto Cappiello, 26 sublime works will come up for bid. Iconic lithographs at auction include his 1902 Pur Champagne / Damery-Epernay (est. $3,500-$4,000), the 1903 Les Parfums de J. Daver (est. $5,000-$6,000), his 1906 Maurin Quina (est. $3,000-$4,000), the seven-foot-tall 1919 L’Avenir (est. $4,000-$5,000), and his 1925 Sancta (est. $4,000-$5,000). Four original maquettes will be offered: the magnificent 1922 Americano Poccardi (est. $30,000-$40,000), the 1929 Le Bas Revel (est. $17,000-$20,000), the never-printed L’Huile d’Olive de Tunisie (est. $8,000-$10,000), and the tender 1919 Children’s Charity drawing (est. $6,000-$8,000).
The father of the poster, Jules Chéret, will have 19 works at auction, including four iterations for the Palais de Glace (ests. ranging $1,400-$5,000), the 1893 Folies-Bergère / La Loïe Fuller (est. $5,000-$6,000), and his 1895 Pastilles Géraudel (est. $4,000-$5,000). The original pastel drawing for his La Danse panel—from his series The Arts—is a notable inclusion (est. $25,000-$30,000). Two original designs for fans are also offered (est. $4,000-$5,000 and $7,000-$9,000).
Jules-Alexandre Grün—the master of lascivious Montmartre nightlife images—will have 14 works at auction. Top lots include his 1900 La Cigale / T-y viens-t-y? (est. $2,000-$2,500), his 1901 Plage de Mesnil-Val (est. $2,500-$3,000), his 1906 Casino de Paris (est. $3,000-$4,000), and his 1910 Monaco / Exposition et Concours de Canots Automobiles (est. $5,000-$6,000).
For collectors of Alphonse Mucha, treasures abound: 62 lots include his most famous posters, rare proofs and original works. Prized lithographs include his 1897 F. Champenois / Reverie (est. $20,000-$25,000), his 1896 Zodiac (est. $17,000-$20,000), the 1896 Four Seasons (est. $12,000-$15,000), his 1899 Moët & Chandon (est. $25,000-$30,000), the 1896 Salon des Cent / XXme Exposition (est. $14,000-$17,000), the 1896 Job printed on silk (est. $25,000-$30,000), his 1897 Fruit and Flower (est. $30,000-$40,000), and his 1927 De Forest Phonofilm (est. $20,000-$25,000).
Mucha was also a fan of sculpture, and an incredibly rare bronze statue from 1899, Femme au Rocher, will be offered (est. $70,000-$90,000). And for the second time, one of his esteemed pocket watches will be auctioned—this time, it’s the Autumn image from 1900 (est. $40,000-$50,000). Two original drawings are also notable: one of his daughter, Jaroslava, from circa 1930 (est. $25,000-$30,000); and the 1929 Portrait of a Slavic Girl (est. $10,000-$12,000).
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec will also have a fine selection available. Top works include his 1896 Troupe de Mlle Églantine (est. $20,000-$25,000), the 1893 Jane Avril (est. $50,000-$60,000), the 1895 May Belfort / Petit Casino (est. $30,000-$40,000), his 1899 Le Jockey (est. $40,000-$50,000), the rare and hand-signed 1894 La Loge au Mascaron Doré / Le Missionnaire (est. $40,000-$50,000), his 1899 Jane Avril (est. $70,000-$90,000), and the 1892 Reine de Joie (est. $50,000-$60,000).
Collectors of Art Nouveau posters will have over 200 decadent designs to choose from. This auction’s cover piece, Cafés Torréfiés / L’Abeille d’Or, designed in 1899 by Albert Castille, is one important inclusion (est. $10,000-$12,000). Further notable lots include Georges de Feure’s 1897 Le Journal des Ventes before letters (est. $10,000-$12,000), Adolfo de Karolis’ 1906 La Figlia di Iorio (est. $7,000-$9,000), Privat Livemont’s before-letters printing of his 1904 Le Bec Liais (est. $8,000-$10,000), Joseph Maria Olbrich’s 1907 Kölner Ausstellung (est. $5,000-$6,000), Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen’s 1894 Lait pur Stérilisé (est. $14,000-$17,000), Francisco Tamagno’s billboard for Pygmalion (est. $4,000-$5,000), and Fernand Toussaint’s 1895 Le Sillon (est. $12,000-$15,000). Three decadent works by Walter Schnackenberg are also offered: his Deutsches Theater (est. $20,000-$25,000), the 1912 Odeon Casino (est. $30,000-$40,000), and his 1912 Erry & Merry (est. $25,000-$30,000).
As from the Art Deco era, over 100 lots will be auctioned. Important images include William H. Barribal’s 1925 Bridlington (est. $8,000-$10,000), Roger Broders’ 1927 Grasse (est. $4,000-$5,000), A. M. Cassandre’s 1927 Nord Express (est. $14,000-$17,000), Paul Colin’s 1930 Musée d’Ethnographie—sold with an original Punu mask (est. $15,000-$20,000), Jean-Gabriel Domergue’s 1937 L’Hiver à Monte-Carlo (est. $8,000-$10,000), Natalia Gontcharova’s 1920 Grand Bal de Nuit, Maurice Lauro’s 1927 Trouville, Charles Loupot’s 1938 billboard for St. Raphaël / Quinquina (est. $50,000-$60,000), and Leslie Ragan’s 1938 New York Central / 20th Century Limited (est. $14,000-$17,000).
Public viewings will be held daily from June 29 to July 17. For more information and to order the catalogue, visit www.posterauctions.com. You may call the gallery at (212) 787-4000. For general inquiries, the email address is info@posterauctions.com.
