At the top of the sale was Alphonse Mucha’s “Femme au Rocher,” sculpture,1899, which made $72,000.

Photos Courtesy Poster Auctions International

NEW YORK CITY — Poster Auctions International’s (PAI) second sale of the year, on July 18, finished at $1,675,320. Rare Posters Auction XC demonstrated collectors’ passion for seldom seen works.

On that hot and stormy July afternoon, bidding activity seemed to mirror the weather with a mix of humid languidness and downpours of enthusiasm. “In my 44 years of poster auctions, I am always intrigued by the ups and downs of poster trends,” Jack Rennert, president of PAI, said. “Recently, collectors’ interest in artists such as Leonetto Cappiello and Alphonse Mucha has certainly surged, and buyers were once again eager to round out their collections with rare works by these top designers.”

Alexis Kow, “Grand Prix du Cap d’Antibes,” 1929 sold for $14,400.

Rarities indeed reigned supreme at this auction, garnering several unexpectedly high sales. An anonymous circa 1969 design featuring a mod Twiggy-esque muse — Pan Am / England — enraptured collectors, leading to a $9,600 winning bid over its estimate of $1,7/2,000. Bidders were similarly passionate about Alexis Kow’s 1929 Grand Prix du Cap d’Antibes, which handily surpassed its estimate of $4/5,000 for a final win of $14,400. And the anonymous 1881 design, Buffalo Bill / He-Nu-Kaw (The first born), was a must-have for fans of Buffalo Bill: the exceptional poster earned a win of $12,000 against its $4/5,000 estimate.

For the master of Art Nouveau, Alphonse Mucha, the trend continued: his original works and rarest variants were the most sought-after this auction. The top sale of this auction was his 1899 “Femme au Rocher,” one of four signed and numbered sculptures using the “cire perdue” technique; it was secured for $72,000. Two original drawings also sold well: his circa 1930 portrait of his daughter, Jaroslava, went for $45,600 ($25/30,000), and his 1929 “Portrait of a Slavic Girl” sold for $19,200 ($10/12,000). His 1900 pocket watch depicting the Automne maiden from his Seasons series captured a winning bid of $45,600 ($40/50,000). Two of his decorative panels nearly doubled their estimates: his 1899 “Dawn” sold for $12,000 ($6/8,000) and the 1899 “Dusk” went for $14,400 ($6/8,000).

For $40,800, Leonetto Cappiello’s “Americano Poccardi” maquette from 1922 found a new home.

Leonetto Cappiello also inspired favorable bids at auction. Top poster sales include his 1902 Suc du Velay, which sold for $4,800 ($3,5/4,000); his 1903 Les Parfums de J. Daver, which was won for $5,280 ($5/6,000); the 1925 Sancta went for $5,280 ($4/5,000). Collectors also vied for the artist’s preparatory maquettes: the 1922 drawing for “Americano Poccardi” sold for $40,800 ($30/40,000), the maquette for his 1929 “Le Bas Revel” was won for $16,800 ($17/20,000), and his work for “L’Huile d’Olive de Tunisie” went for $7,200 ($8/10,000).

Anonymous, Fantômas. 1913, achieved $31,200.

Further top sales included the incredibly rare three-sheet version of the 1913 Fantômas, by an anonymous artist, which sold for $31,200 ($15/20,000). This auction’s catalog cover, Albert Castille’s 1899 Cafés Torréfiés / L’Abeille d’Or, went for $16,800 ($10/2,000); Walter Schnackenberg’s decadent 1912 Odeon Casino went home for $33,600 ($30/40,000).

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house.
Poster Auctions International’s next Rare Posters Auction will take place in New York City on November 12.
For information, further 212-787-4000, info@posterauctions.com or www.posterauctions.com.