New York, NY, USA, November 2, 2023 — The 91st Rare Posters Auction from Poster Auctions International on Sunday, November 12, 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 460 lots will be on view to the public through November 11. 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 11am Eastern time.
Jack Rennert, the president of Poster Auctions International, Inc., said, “Our 91st sale is notable for the many exceptionally rare works being offered by top artists, including Cappiello, Chéret, Colin, Hohlwein, Mucha, and Schnackenberg. This auction also includes first-class images for automobiles, bicycles, and war and propaganda. I have a feeling that poster collectors will be delighted with the works available in this auction.”
The auction will begin with a small but choice selection of Winter Images. Highlights include Roger Broders’ ca. 1929 Sports d’Hiver / Col de Voza (est. $5,000-$6,000) and his 1930 Les Sports d’Hiver / St. Pierre de Chartreuse (est. $7,000-$9,000), plus several charming Swiss images.
Next, 27 American literary posters will be offered, including many Harper’s designs by Edward Penfield (ests. ranging from $800-$1,700), plus Aubrey Beardsley’s 1894 The Yellow Book / Copeland and Day (est. $2,500-$3,000) and seven issues of William H. Bradley’s His Book (est. $2,000-$2,500).
Fifteen designs for bicycles and motorcycles will be available, including the magnificent anonymous Cycles Gladiator, from ca. 1895 (est. $40,000-$50,000). Both the smaller and larger formats of Eugène Grasset’s 1899 Marque Georges Richard / Cycles & Automobiles are included (ests. $2-500-$3,000 and $3,000-$4,000). Other highlights include Pal’s ca. 1899 Phébus (est. $3,000-$4,000) and Geo Ham’s Motobécane (est. $2,000-$2,500).
Collectors of automobile posters will have ten important lots to choose from, including Tsas’ 1907 Coupe Pilette (est. $4,000-$5,000), Henri Béhel’s ca. 1908 Georges Richard / “Unic” (est. $3,000-$4,000), Malcolm A. Strauss’ 1908 Automobile Club of America / Savannah Race (est. $8,000-$10,000), and Michel Beligond’s 1963 Gd Prix d’Europe / Monaco (est. $1,700-$2,000).
As for aviation posters, 12 lots will be auctioned, including L. Pousthumis’ two ca. 1910 images for Farman & Latham (est. $1,700-$2,000), Charles C. Dickson’s 1928 KLM / Royal Dutch Airlines (est. $2,500-$3,000), Jean Jacquelin’s 1930 Aéropostale / Au Maroc Par Avion (est. $3,000-$4,000), and David Klein’s 1962 Fly TWA Jets / Paris (est. $1,200-$1,500).
28 war and propaganda posters will be offered, which include icons like James Montgomery Flagg’s 1917 I Want You for U.S. Army (est. $6,000-$8,000) and his 1917 Wake Up, America! (est. $6,000-$8,000), plus Howard Chandler Christy’s 1917 I Want You for the Navy (est. $1,200-$1,500). This section also includes lesser seen images, like the anonymous 1885 National Soldiers Reunion (est. $2,000-$2,500), Joseph C. Leyendecker’s 1917 Get in the Game (est. $2,000-$2,500), a collection of 20 Anti-Semitic Serbian posters from 1941 (est. $25,000-$30,000), and Milton Glaser’s 1968 No Vietnamese Ever Called Me N***** (est. $2,500-$3,000).
The last featured section is six posters for Buffalo Bill, including the only known copy of the anonymous, 10-foot-wide Buffalo Bill / The Last of the Buffalo (est. $40,000-$50,000) and the anonymous ca. 1893 Buffalo Bill’s Wild West / Indian Canoe Scene (est. $10,000-$12,000).
This auction also features some of the strongest artist collections in recent years. From Leonetto Cappiello, 29 impressive lots are on offer, including his 1900 Amandines de Provence / Biscuits H. Lalo (est. $5,000-$6,000), the largest three-sheet format of his 1903 Chocolat Klaus (est. $15,000-$20,000), his 1907 Mele (est. $17,000-$20,000), the incredibly rare 1910 Remington (est. $20,000-$25,000), and many more beloved posters. Notable original works include his 1912 hand-painted Galeries Lafayette: Screen (est. $50,000-$60,000) and a ca. 1912 stained glass iteration of his Je ne fume que Le Nil (est. $15,000-$20,000).
The father of the poster, Jules Chéret, will have 26 works at auction, including his 1893 Folies-Bergère / La Loïe Fuller (est. $5,000-$6,000); an original 1887 painting, Saint Jacut-de-la-Mer (est. $17,000-$20,000); three interpretations for the Palais de Glace (ests. ranging $2,700-$6,000); and the ca. 1891 original drawing for his La Comédie panel of the Four Arts (est. $8,000-$10,000).
This auction features 13 of the finest and rarest images from Ludwig Hohlwein, such as his 1908 Café Odeon und Billard Akademie (est. $14,000-$17,000), his 1907 Hermann Scherrer / Breechesmaker (est. $12,000-$15,000), the serene Odeon Casino (est. $8,000-$10,000), and the 1912 Besuchet den Tiergarten featuring the American bison (est. $6,000-$8,000).
For fans of Alphonse Mucha, remarkable collectors’ pieces abound: the 50 lots offered include his most famous posters, rare proofs, and original works. Beloved works on offer include the 1896 Job (est. $17,000-$20,000), his 1899 Plume et Primevère (est. $20,000-$25,000), his 1897 Monaco-Monte-Carlo (est. $14,000-$17,000), the 1903 Exposition de St. Louis (est. $30,000-35,000), and his 1896 Zodiac (est. $20,000-$25,000). But there are also rare variants and never-before-seen works included, such as the very rare 1905 Sarah-Bernhardt / Farewell American Tour (est. $10,000-$12,000), his 1899 Dawn decorative panel on silk (est. $15,000-$20,000), his 1898 The Arts on silk (est. $70,000-$90,000), his 1899 Le Pater (est. $14,000-$17,000), and various original drawings, book covers, and proofs.
This sale includes several further rare and important works, such as David Dellepiane’s 1908 Exposition International d’Électricité (est. $12,000-$15,000), Pierre Bonnard’s 1891 France-Champagne (est. $25,000-$30,000), Charles Loupout’s 1919 Grieder (est. $20,000-$25,000), Paul Colin’s 1925 Champs Élysées / La Loïe Fuller (est. $30,000-$40,000), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s 1896 Salon des Cent (est. $20,000-$25,000), and Walter Schnackenberg’s ca. 1918 Peter Pathe / Maria Hagen (est. $20,000-$25,000)—plus many more.
Public viewings will be held daily from October 20 to November 11. 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.
About Poster Auctions International:
Poster Auctions International is one of the very few auction houses in the world dealing exclusively in rare, original vintage posters. Since the late 1980s, PAI has held auctions 3-4 times a year. Poster aficionados, enthusiasts, collectors, galleries, and leading art museums around the world value Rennert’s Gallery as one of their most trusted venues for successful consignments, unique buying opportunities, unequaled experience in the field, and an impeccable eye for quality in original poster art. The gallery, at 26 W. 17th Street, New York City, hosts rotating exhibitions of original poster art, as well as a bookstore of research and coffee-table volumes on poster art, plus an extensive research archive open to the public by appointment.