Christie’s Final MoMA Sale: Women in Photography

After the announcement in August that MoMA would be selling 400 prints from its photography collection via Christie’s, there has been a host of auctions over three months showcasing and selling these prestigious photographs. Last week saw the final auction of the MoMA collection in Christie’s Women in Photography sale, which took place online from 29th November to 7th December.

The auction raised a sales total of $188,250 with over 80 lots available. The sale included lots by some of the biggest names in photography including Dorothea Lange and Else Bing. Not surprisingly Bing and Lange raised the highest bids with Ilse Bing’s Images from Moulin Rouge, 1931 selling for $15,000, and Dorothea Lange’s Doorstep of Church, Grayson, San Joaquin Valley, California, 1938 (feature image) selling for $8,750.

This was one of Christie’s most underperforming photography auctions of the year, with both top sales receiving hammer prices well below their estimates. This may be due to a combination of factors including a lack of marquee names, like the usual Julia Margaret Cameron and Cindy Sherman, whose infamous works demand much higher price tags, the sale also took place online over 8 days with little fanfare, during the Christmas rush – a notorious lull in auctioneering.

View all lots and their sale prices by visiting Christie’s dedicated page here