Seeking a role model for your fantasy life in the world of upmarket books, maps, prints, photos and works of art on paper look no farther. Meet Nicholas “Nicho” Lowry, 58, a third generation antiquarian who is President of Swann Galleries in Manhattan and is also their specialist in posters and graphic arts. Nationally he is known as an Antiques Road Show expert appraiser; in private life he is a noted collector and specialist in Czech graphics and design who curated two recent NYC exhibits in that field.
To say he cuts a striking figure is an understatement: Lowry sports a handlebar mustache, favors a wardrobe that leans strongly to plaid, and has been known to extol the virtues of Tilda, his Boston Terrier. Asked about his flamboyant image he replied with a touch of sarcasm, “Yes, I sit back with the dog at my feet twirling my mustache resplendently dressed in plaid and contemplate the future.”
From where he sits the future looks good.
Swann is a top tier firm; it’s considered New York City’s oldest continually operating auction house. While it might not be Sotheby’s it’s not chopped liver either. The privately held company is a family business founded in 1940 by Benjamin Swann, his grandfather’s nephew. His father George S. Lowry, bought the company in 1969. The younger Lowry began working at the front desk in 1996, became the firm’s poster specialist a bit later, and moved up to president in 2000.
As CEO his goal is to “bring excellent material to market and to energize the field. We run a company of collectors and for collectors and we care about what we sell,” he said. In his opinion,“Swann has a wonderful vibe.”
That vibe he’s describing is “less corporate and more boutique.” The firm hosts as many as 40 sales a year. The majority are the work of a single department while a small handful are collaborations many months in the making involving multiple specialties. Their upcoming Science auction on Thurs., Nov. 12 is an example of such a sale.
Though he describes the company as “mid-range,” the individual results can often break six figures, and total for sales can run to millions. For example, in April, Swann sold a first London edition of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, 1859, which brought $151,400, more than double its presale high estimate. Photos and catalog notes at https://www.swanngalleries.com/auction-lot/charles-darwin-1809-1882-on-the-origin-of-speci_45f74c6a8f
Another high point came in June when a rare piece of Mormon history, a John Whitmer letter, sold for $322,200, again exceeding its presale high estimate of $120,000. https://www.swanngalleries.com/auction-lot/mormons.-john-whitmer.-signed-letter-affirming_831a5d00a8
In addition to being president and the firm’s poster specialist, Lowry is also the chief auctioneer, one of three on staff. He said he learned this side of the business “by sitting next to my father. Eventually he took off the training wheels.”
Swann currently employs a staff of 35, and sorry, but your chances of getting a job there anytime soon are slim to none. Or as he put it more diplomatically, “We have a very low turnover rate.”
Musing on the auction field in general he is dismayed that the business is “being consumed by corporate private equity” and “losing its personality.” Asked his thoughts about sports memorabilia, pop-culture ephemera and trading cards like the Pokemon series, he replied, “I’m delighted that people can make money doing that, but those things are simply not for us.”
According to Lowry, Swann upmarket inventory comes from “hundreds of different sources: pickers, estates, flea markets, anybody who wants to sell will see something and decide to bring it to us.”
As for vintage posters, his own specialty, he mentioned that this field was not taken seriously in the past, but over time “people have come to view posters as legitimate art and now we’re seeing a growing appreciation.” A recent poster high spot was Cycle Gladiator, ca. 1895 which sold in May for $114,300, almost four times presale high estimate of $30,000.
https://www.swanngalleries.com/auction-lot/designer-unknown-cycles-gladiator.-circa-1895._1c78338331
Lowry singled out LGBT as a category with growing interest. “We’ve had tremendous success with gay material,” he said. “We started having cross departmental sales in 2019, and in seven years it’s grown exponentially.” The same can be said of African-American art. “This is our 20th year of African-American art auctions and it continues to go up.”
In addition to his work with Swann, Lowry, (whose family has roots in the former Czechoslovakia) recently curated two exhibits related to Czech posters and design. Visit Czechoslovakia! The Stories of Czech and Slovak Travel Posters, many from his own personal collection is on view at NYC’s Czech Center through Nov. 6. He also co-authored a book of the same name. Czech and English editions are available through the Center. https://new-york.czechcentres.gov.cz/en/program/visit-czechoslovakia-the-stories-of-czech-and-slovak-travel-posters In conjunction with that exhibit he also curated From Monarchy to Modernity: Travel, Identity, & the Czechoslovak First Republic shown at the Poster House in Manhattan through Nov. 1. https://posterhouse.org/exhibition/from-monarch-to-modernity-travel-identity-the-czechoslovak-first-republic-1918-1938/
In a similar vein he was the narrator of Identita, a 2024 feature length documentary film about Czech graphic design. An English language article about the film can be found at:
https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/from-typography-to-beer-cans-new-film-celebrates-czech-design Find additional information at: https://identitaproject.com/
For the hard core Lowry fan his regular blog “View from the Podium” features monthly musings on vintage collectible posters and the state of things in the auction world in general.
https://www.swanngalleries.com/specialist-news/nicholas-d-lowry/
Of particular interest is the May 1, 2026 column related to the exceptional Gooding poster sale and includes a link to all the images in that event: https://www.swanngalleries.com/news/news/2026/05/the-gooding-collection/
Swann Galleries, Inc.
104 East 25th St., 6th floor
NY, NY 10010
Open 10-6, M-F
(212) 254-4710
Poster inquiries: posters@swanngalleries.com
General: swann@swanngalleries.com
Exhibitions and auctions are free and open to the public
