NEW YORK, NY.- Swann Galleries’ annual Graphic Design auction is set for Thursday, May 18. On offer are standout items from across the globe with a myriad of art movements, including Jugendstil and Secession, Art Deco, Futurism, Mid-Century Modernism and Swiss Realism. Two large archives of ephemeral material lend to the sale an angle that it has seldom had: ephemeral design such as postcards, books, magazines, pamphlets and beyond.

The sale features an intriguing selection of Italian Futurist works from the private collection of Albert P. Albano with ephemeral material including, postcards, magazines, books and more. Highlights include a group of La Rivista and Vanity Fair magazines designed by Fortunato Depero dated from 1924 to 1935 ($2,000-3,000); Umberto di Lazzaro’s fold-out poster Crociera Aerea del Decennale, 1933, featured in Le Vie Dell’Aria ($600-900); and a group of five photo-postcards of Filippo Marinetti, Ruggero Casari, Giovanni Papini and a photocollage by Guglielmo Sansoni “Tato”, and two original watercolor portraits by Umberto Bonetti ($1,000-1,500). Further Italian Futurist designs featured in the sale include two works by Tato—Ala Littoria / Linee Aeree Italiane, 1934 ($2,000-3,000), and Camicia Nera, 1933 ($3,000-4,000); Frederico Seneca’s Cioccolatini Perugina, circa 1930 ($10,000-15,000); and works by Attilo Calzavara, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and Enrico Prampolini.

The sale is led by Willian Addison Dwiggins’ design for The Architect & the Industrial Arts / 11th Exhibition of Contemporary American Design, 1928 ($30,000-40,000). Dwiggins designed all the graphics for the exhibition which showcased American Art Deco interior design and architecture and was the American response to the 1925 Art Deco Exhibition in Paris. Also by Dwiggins is Petrouchka, a print first cut by Dwiggins in 1921 and then printed for the first time by Dorothy Abbe in 1952 from the original blocks ($1,000-1,500), as well as a large offering of books and publications designed by the artist.

A strong selection of Swiss posters, including a run of works by Niklaus Stoecklin, notably Der Buchdruck, 1922 ($7,000-10,000); a selection of works by Peter Birkhäuser with Alles Aus Der Rheinbrücke Basel, 1942 ($1,500-2,000), and Osram / Beluchtet Billiger, 1943 ($1,000-1,500); Donald Brun’s So Suggetiv Soll das Plakat Wirken!, circa 1936 ($500-750); and Josef Müller-Brockmann with Konzerte Tonhalle Juni Festwochen, 1969 ($1,500-2,000), and Ballett / Opernhaus Zürich, 1975 ($1,500-2,000). Additional artists featured are Hebert Leupin, Numa Rick, Armin Hofman, Otto Baumberger, Karl Hindenlang and Hermann Eidenbenz.

Paul Rand works on offer are led by his iconic 1982 IBM ad ($2,500-3,500), as well as Dancer on Orange Ground, circa 1958 ($800-1,200), which was taken from the March 1939 cover of Direction magazine; three Yale University posters ($700-900), and a 1968 Journal of the American Institute of Graphic Arts poster ($700-1,000).

Additional highlights include Johannes Molzahn’s Wohnung und Werkraum, 1929, a tour-de-force of photomontage, typography and composition, in which all the elements of design and construction are represented ($12,000-18,000). Gustav Klutsis’ 1935 photocollage maquette with mixed media Politburo ($7,000-10,000), a set of 10 hardcover volumes of Das Plaket from 1912 to 1921 ($20,000-30,000), and Peter Behrens’ Darmstadt / Mai - 1901 - OKT, 1901 ($15,000-20,000), also feature. Classic works by A. M. Cassandre, Charles Loupot and Ludwig Hohlwin through modern design from Milton Glaser, Tadanori Tokoo and David Klein round out the sale.

Exhibition hours are 12 p.m to 5 p.m from May 15 through May 17. Live online bidding platforms will be the Swann Galleries App, Invaluable, and Live Auctioneers. The complete catalogue and bidding information is available at www.swanngalleries.com and the Swann Galleries App.