Top lot in the sale was Alphonse Mucha’s Princezna Hyacinta, 1911, which realized $78,000.
NEW YORK CITY — Poster Auctions International’s (PAI) third sale of the year on November 13 finished at just over $2.2 million. Rare Posters Auction LXXXVIII saw sustained passion for rare and never-before-seen lithographs from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras, continuing PAI’s streak of $2 million auctions this year.
Jack Rennert, president of PAI, said, “We are always humbled by the enthusiasm of our consignors and bidders at auction. Collectors demonstrated continued passion for rare and important lithographs, leading to several new sales records.”
Alphonse Mucha continued to hold sway over admiring buyers. The top sale from this Belle Époque master was his 1911 Princezna Hyacinta, which was won for a record-breaking $78,000 against an estimated $35/45,000. Another new high sale went to the circa 1899 Bleuze-Hadancourt/Parfumeur, which was sold for $45,600.
Overall, works by Art Nouveau masters were highly sought-after. Adolfo Hohenstein’s dramatic 1899 Tosca was secured for a winning bid of $40,800. Privat Livemont’s iconic 1896 Absinthe Robette performed consistently well, topping out at $21,600. From Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen, a Russian text variant of his infamous 1896 Chat Noir was claimed for $19,200. Joseph Maria Olbrich’s 1901 Darmstadt sold for $16,800; Ludwig Hohlwein’s 1913 Kaffee Hag went for $19,200; H. Gray’s 1899 Cycles Sirius surpassed its estimate of $4/5,000 for a winning bid of $7,800; and Rosa Bonheur’s 1905 Buffalo Bill was secured for $20,400.
Adolfo Hohenstein’s Tosca, 1899, reached $40,800.
Jules Chéret saw passionate bids. His beloved 1893 Folies-Bergère/La Loïe Fuller was won for $12,000; his 1891 Saxoléine sold for $5,280; and his 1877 Skating-Concerts, featuring circus performer Miss Korah, inspired fervent bidding, leading to a winning bid of $9,000. But above all, collectors vied for his original paintings. One was sold for $33,600, a second was won for $28,800, and the third was claimed for $12,000.
For Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, his rarest works received the most attention from collectors. This auction’s top sale was for his scarce 1895 Yvette Guilbert ceramic tile, one of only four known copies outside of museums, which sold for $204,000.
Bidders at this auction also showed high demand for Art Deco works. The selection of travel images by Roger Broders sparked a frenzy of bidding; his top sale was the 1928 La Plage de Calvi. Corse, which was claimed for $15,600. Paul Colin’s impressive 1929 portfolio, Le Tumulte Noir, inspired some competitive bidding, leading to a win of $45,600. And his 1929 Les Mathurins / Le Collier beat out its estimate of $2,5/3,000 for a total of $9,000.
This year’s catalog cover was also a big hit with collectors: Geo Ham’s 1924 Amilcar was claimed for $28,800
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. Poster Auctions International’s next rare posters auction will be in March. For additional information, 212-787-4000 or www.posterauctions.com.
