Swann Galleries’ LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History sale is at auction on Thursday, August 22. This year sees Corey Serrant join the department as Associate Director. “I’ve seen an immense outpouring of interest from consignors, collectors, and intuitions on the growth of this sector and subsection of the market. With palpable excitement, we are excited to present to the market an auction composed of paintings, photography, manuscripts and archives, sculpture, and literature with hopes to present the material with sincerity and care to highlight the intersectionality and narrative arc of the LGBTQ+ community,” noted Serrant of the preparation for the sale.
Leading the auction is a Roman bust of a young boy with extensive provenance from owners of gay creative and literary history. The ephebe was owned by German photographer Wilhelm von Gloeden, who acquired it on one of his European tours between 1894 and 1914. After von Gloeden passed away in 1931, the bust went into the collection of his muse and heir, Pancrazio Buciunì. As fascism rose and Mussolini came to power, the Vatican allied with the government, and a significant portion of von Gloeden’s inheritance was confiscated and destroyed by police as obscene.
In 1948, an Italian dealer brokered the bust sale from Buciunì to American playwright and screenwriter Tennessee Williams. Tennessee Williams and partner Frank Merlo gifted the sculpture to Gore Vidal as a housewarming gift in July 1950 when he acquired Edgewater, a sprawling estate in Dutchess County, New York. Vidal and his partner Howard Austen made Edgewater their home for 19 years. Vidal and Austen lived with the bust, which they affectionately dubbed “Alessio,” for another 34 years, traveling with it as they divided their time between La Rondinaia in Ravello, Italy, and the Hollywood Hills. The provenance was confirmed by Victor Cambell, Tennesse Williams’s final partner.
The Swann Galleries sale will also feature a strong focus on contemporary artists such as Dinh Q. Lê, Harmony Hammond, Lyle Ashton Harris, and more, alongside its usual offering of ephemera, including rare vintage posters and flyers, as well as manuscripts and archives from the community’s storied history.
View the LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History auction catalogue.
For more information, visit swanngalleries.com.
