Swann Galleries

New York City auction house
Swann Auction Galleries
IndustryAuctioneering
FoundedNew York City, New York, U.S.
(1941)
FounderBenjamin Swann
Headquarters104 East 25 Street, New York City, New York, U.S.
Key people
George Lowry,
Chairman
Nicholas Lowry,
President, Principal Auctioneer
ProductsRare Books/Fine Art
Websiteswanngalleries.com

Swann Galleries is a New York City auction house founded in 1941. It is a specialist auctioneer of antique and rare works on paper, and it is considered the oldest continually operating New York specialist auction house.

The company has separate specialist departments for books, autographs and manuscripts, maps and atlases, photographs and photographic literature, prints and drawings, vintage posters, illustration art, and African-American fine art. Additionally, Swann conducts annual sales of printed and manuscript African Americana.[1] In total, Swann conducts over 35 catalogued live auctions a year.

History

Book dealer Benjamin Swann founded the family-owned firm in 1941. In 1970, George Lowry acquired the business from Mr. Swann, and it is now headed by Nicholas D. Lowry, the third generation at the company’s helm.

For over thirty years, Swann has been located on East 25th Street, just one block east of Madison Square Park, at the boundaries of the historic Murray Hill, Gramercy Park, and Flatiron districts.

Affiliations

Swann is one of the founding members of International Auctioneers (IA), formed in 1993 by some of the world’s leading independent auction houses. Current European members are located in Stockholm, Cologne, Milan, Paris, Zurich, Geneva, and Vienna.[2]

Swann is the only auction house that is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, which actively promotes an ethical professionalism in the dealing and trading of rare books.[3]

Many of the specialists at Swann share their expertise on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow, where they assess people’s antiques and collectibles in the quest for hidden gems.[4]

References

  1. ^ Kahn, Eve M. (20 February 2009). "Flickery Images of Black Life Back Then". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
  2. ^ "Contact". International Auctioneers. Archived from the original on 2008-09-14.
  3. ^ "Rare Books - ABAA Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America". www.abaa.org. Archived from the original on 2007-10-30.
  4. ^ "Antiques Roadshow | PBS". PBS.
  • African-American Art Arrives
  • Rare Cookbooks on the Auction Block
  • Sportivo!

External links

  • Official website Edit this at Wikidata
  • v
  • t
  • e
East Side of Manhattan (14th–34th Streets, east of Fifth Ave)
Buildings
14th–23rd Sts
23rd–34th Sts
Former
  • Jerome Mansion
  • Madison Square Presbyterian Church (1854)
  • Madison Square Presbyterian Church (1906)
  • St. Leo Church
Culture
Shops, restaurants, nightlife
Theaters, galleries, art venues
Hotels
Clubs
Former
Green spaces
Education
Primary and secondary education
Higher education
Religion
Health
Transportation
Subway stations
  • First Avenue
  • Third Avenue
  • 14th Street–Union Square
  • 23rd Street (Broadway)
  • 23rd Street (Park Avenue South)
  • 28th Street
  • 33rd Street
Other transport
Streets
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
International
  • VIAF
    • 2
National
  • Israel
  • United States

40°44′28″N 73°59′06″W / 40.74100°N 73.98493°W / 40.74100; -73.98493