Luxury advertising posters reach new heights and break records
This 1926 Charles Loupot luxury advertisement for French automobile company Peugeot was the top lot and earned an auction record after selling for $37,500. All images are courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
NEW YORK – Several vintage posters by noted designers are boasting auction records achieved during a recent Swann Galleries’ auction of Graphic Design.
Charles Loupot’s luxury advertisements from the early twentieth century led the sale. Highlights include a 1926 poster for the French automobile company Peugeot, which earned an auction record at $37,500, and Wanneroil / Huile du bon Chauffer, 1926, a first-at-auction that garnered $22,500. Also of note is a 1930 ad for Twining Tea, which sold for $20,000.
Edmond Maurus, Chrysler, circa 1930s, sold for a record $13,750.
Additional auction records include Edmond Maurus’ lively circa 1930s poster for Chrysler ($13,750); Clotilde et Alexandre Sakharoff, 1921, an Art Deco advertisement by George Barbier ($17,500);Ferdinand Ludwig Graf’s 1908 secessionist poster Kaiser – Jubilaeums / Wien ($10,625); and U.S.A. Surpasses All Genocide Records!, 1966, by George Maciunas ($9,100).
Three works by Japanese designer Tadanori Yokoo made their auction debuts: Takarazuka / Grad Revue, 1966 ($10,000), Laboratory of Play / Tenjo Sajiki Troupe, 1967 ($9,375), and Ballad to an Amputated Little Finger, 1967 ($9,375). Further psychedelic posters by Yokoo included Having Reached a Climax at the Age of 29, I was Dead, 1965 ($20,000), and Koshimaki – Osen, 1966 ($9,375).
One of three Tadanori Yokoo posters that made their debut; Laboratory of Play / Tenjo Sajiki Troupe, 1967, sold for $9,375.
Nicholas D. Lowry, president and principle auctioneer of Swann Galleries and director of vintage posters, said he was pleased with the sale. “Dealers and institutions were more involved in this auction than in previous years, suggesting that the market is expanding. A number of record prices were set, and some fantastic material came to the market for the first time,” he said.
Swann Auction Galleries is a third-generation family business as well as the world’s largest auction house for works on paper. More than 30 auctions and previews are held annually at Swann. Visit swanngalleries.com for more information.
