Egon Schiele Secession poster tops estimate by 44%

An Egon Schiele Secessionist art poster achieved an increase of 44% yesterday (May 10)

A poster by Egon Schiele, one of the main exponents of the Secessionist movement, topped its estimate by 44% in a sale of Modernist posters in New York.

Schiele's poster for the Secession exhibition

The art world's Secession movement was founded in 1890 in Paris, with a group of artists establishing the Salon au Champs-de-Mars in an attempt to move away from academic arts and its administrators. Many European artists followed in the coming years, favouring newer, more progressive styles, over traditional art forms.

Schiele was one of the biggest talents of the Secession movement, after studying under Gustav Klimt, who played a major role in the famous Vienna Secession.

This poster was designed by Schiele for the Secession movement's 49th gallery exhibition. It provides a stark contrast to the colourful, often decorative works of other artists from the movement. The piece sold for $28,000, comfortably exceeding the pre-sale estimate of $15,000-20,000.

A brilliant portfolio of 22 works by Paul Colin made $27,600, serving as the second highest selling lot in the sale. Colin's portfolio encapsulates the predominant jazz culture of Paris in the 1920s. The charming series is divided into two sections: the first devoted to dancer Josephine Baker; the second, a cheeky satire of Paris in the Charleston era.

Walter Dexel's Neue Wege Der Photographie, a masterpiece of typography, provided the auction with its most exciting lot. Soaring past its $2,500-3,500 estimate, the piece sold for $26,400, with an impressive increase of 654%.

The numerous successes of the auction highlight the value of posters from important events. PFC Auctions is currently accepting bids on this campaign poster for John F Kennedy, one of America's most loved presidents. 

Recent and related articles

·  Kircher 'Englische Steptänzerinnen' art could bring $316,686 at Christie's | 6 March 2012

·  Art Nouveau poster by Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen could bring $70,000 | 1 March 2012

·  Christie's April 'Green Auction' stars Salma Hayek and other celebrities | 10 February 2012

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Images: Swann Auction Galleries