Christie’s Photographies Sale, Nov 2019
Christie’s only photography auction of the month took place on the 5th in Paris with the annual autumnal Photographies auction.
The auction gathered together 115 lots from artists such as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn and Robert Mapplethorpe.
Christie’s organizes on 5 November its Photographs sale focusing on 20th and 21stcenturies photographers. Almost 150 works realized by major photographers will be proposed, including works by masters such as Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, and Robert Mapplethorpe, as well as contemporary artists like Marina Abramovic, Sally Mann and Michael Wolf. Some of the most famous and iconic photographs are also presented, such as a magnificent portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Richard Avedon, or a series of still lives by Irving Penn, including Frozen Foods – one of his most sophisticated composition.Finally, the Photographs Department is pleased to present a collection of unveiled vintage photographs by Constantin Brancusi, an exceptional vintage print by August Sander, gifted to Raoul Hausmann in 1929, as well as a corpus of Henri Cartier-Bresson coming from the prestigious Charles-Henri Favrod collection.
The close of sale raised a sales total of €2,821,875 ($3.1 million).
Richard Avedon’s Marilyn Monroe, actress, New York city, 6 may 1957 was the most expensive lot with an original estimate of €300,000-€500,000 and a sales price of €346,000. The print was a first edition of the image.
Constantin Brancusi took a surprising second place with Le Coq, La Muse Endormie, 1924. The print was expected to sell for €50,000-€70,000 and shocked many when it sold for €187,000.
Irving Penn’s Lavender Glory Poppy, New York, 1968 came in third, outperforming its estimate of €50,000-€70,000 by achieving a hammer price of €137,000.
Click the image titles to see each print or click here to browse all the lots from this auction.