Christie’s Autumn Photographs

Photography’s first set of autumn auctions started off in New York this month with Phillips’ Photographs sale on the first of the month, this was quickly followed on the 2nd with Christie’s offering.

Christie’s listed 203 lots supplying ‘a broad overview of the medium’s history with examples spanning from the 1840s to contemporary works‘. These lots included ‘iconic property by historically significant artists in the category from Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston to Dorothea Lange and Robert Frank alongside contemporary artists from Richard Misrach and Vik Muniz to Larry Sultan and Peter Beard, among others.’

As well as ‘a spotlight section of works by Helmut Newton from the Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties as well as a grouping of Andy Warhol Polaroids featuring 20th century Pop icons including Diana Ross, Jerry Hall, Grace Jones, Truman Capote, and Bianca Jagger‘.

Along with ‘a special selection of fifty-four works—photographs, as well as artist portfolios and special editions—by forty-nine artists […] to benefit Aperture Foundation with proceeds supporting the non-profit’s purchase of a new permanent headquarters in New York. Works included in this portion of the sale [were] by Diane Arbus, Nan Goldin, Robert Mapplethorpe, Alison Rossiter, Meghann Riepenhoff, Hank Willis Thomas, and others, all of which were generously donated by artists, collectors, gallerists, and Aperture board members‘. 

Last year’s most expensive photograph was available again, this time the second of Helmut Newton’s three edition print; Panoramic Nude, Woman with Gun, Villa d’Este, Como, 1989 (inset). With last year’s success in mind the estimate for this print was valued between $300,000 and $500,000 selling just over its bottom estimate at $399,000.

In second place was Laszlo Moholy-Nagy’s From the Radio Tower, Berlin, 1928 selling for $275,000 after an initial estimate of $200,000 to $300,000.

Finally, in third was Peter Beard’s World-Class Black Rhino, Aberdare Forest, 1972 (featured), which outperformed its estimate of $40,000-$60,000 by selling for $250,000.

Altogether the auction brought in a combined sales total of $6,015,000 and completed Christie’s photography activity for this month – their next photography sale is due in November in Paris.

(View lots by clicking on their titles)