Swann Galleries to Sell 600 Works in Prints Auction

Jean Baptiste Camille Corot Alexander Calder Andy Warhol Man Ray Romare Bearden Pablo Picasso Roy Lichtenstein Henri Matisse

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Swann Auction Galleries will kick off the fall 2006 season with an extensive, two-part sale of works on paper from the major figures of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Sept. 14 auction begins in the morning with 100 rare fine works from two centuries worth of artists, from Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot to Roy Lichtenstein.

Among the selections are several desirable Picasso etchings, including the classical Les Trois Graces II, 1922-23 (est. $20,000-$30,000) and Les Repos du Sculpteur et le Modele au Masque, 1933 (est. $15,000-$20,000), in addition to Picasso’s 1948 lithograph David et Bathsabée (est. $25,000-$35,000).

Other major prints include Henri Matisse’s well-known color pochoir Cirque, from his 1947 Jazz series (est. $10,000-$15,000); Marc Chagall’s color lithograph Dorcon’s Strategy from Daphnius et Chloe, 1961 (est. $20,000-$30,000); Laszlo Moholy-Nagy’s 1930 watercolor Composition ($20,000-$30,000); and Alexander Calder’s Composition with Star, goache, 1974 (est. $25,000-$35,000).

Building off that momentum, the afternoon session continues with an additional 500 lots, by modern and contemporary American and European artists, priced below $10,000.

Featured unique works are Joan Miro’s Le Carrosse d’Oiseaux ($6,000-$9,000); Jacques Villon’s Nature morte aux noix ($5,000-$8,000); Le Courbusier’s Femme Rose ($4,000-$6,000); as well as almost a dozen Renoirs, including the 1897 soft-ground etching Baigneuse assise (est. $6,000-$9,000).

Additional artists on the block include Mary Cassatt, Salvador Dali, Oskar Kokoschka, Man Ray, Matisse, Picasso, Romare Bearden, Roberto Matta and Andy Warhol.

Throughout both sales Swann will also present numerous “after” prints, which the auction house said have become increasingly popular with collectors.

“These ‘after’ prints, which are authorized and signed by the artist, often reproduce iconic paintings made earlier in a career,” said Todd Weyman, director of prints and drawings at Swann. “It’s remarkable that prints made after the designs of famous artists frequently sell for more than actual prints by the artist.”

For instance, a 1967 after print of Chagall’s Roses and Mimosas is estimated at $6,000-$9,000 in Swann’s afternoon sale, while an original color lithograph by the artist, Affiche Galerie Maeght, Paris, 1962, is estimated at $5,000-$8,000.