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 including 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.”
Rarities indeed reigned supreme at this auction, garnering several unexpectedly high sales. An anonymous ca. 1969 design featuring a mod Twiggy-esque muse—Pan Am / England—enraptured collectors, leading to a $9,600 winning bid over its estimate of $1,700-$2,000. Bidders were similarly passionate about Alexis Kow’s 1929 Grand Prix du Cap d’Antibes, which handily surpassed its estimate of $4,000-$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 $4,000-$5,000 estimate.
To learn more about PAI, visit www.posterauctions.com.
