Sotheby’s Europeenne de Photographies Auction Results, November 2017

Yesterday was a busy day for the photography department at Sotheby’s Paris. Two photography auctions took place: ‘Importante Collection Européenne de Photographies’ and ‘Photographies’ both in celebration of the annual photography fair that takes place in the city: Paris Photo.

The first to take place was the Importante Collection Européenne de Photographies, which Sotheby’s claimed:

‘Highlights from this collection includes several exceptional works by the photography legend Irving Penn, who is celebrated by many shows this year for the century of his birth.

The collection also includes works from different periods but with a common feeling of elegance, and personal interpretations of beauty, Horst P Horst with the ideal human body, Robert Mapplethorpe with the erotic flowers and the singular worlds of Helmut Newton and Araki.

There is also a diverse selection of American photography around Ansel Adams, Walker Evens, Robert Frank, William Eggleston and Lee Friedlander.’

There were 97 lots available with estimates ranging from 1,500 to 90,000 euros. The auction realised a sales total of 1,313,000 EUR with the highest bid going to Irving Penn’s Still life with watermelon, New York, 1947, which had an estimate of 60,000-80,000 euros, and sold for 150,000 euros.

Irving Penn’s work proved to be quite popular at this auction, with the top 4 selling lots coming from the artist. Penn’s portrait of Pablo Picasso, Picasso (B), Cannes, 1957, which sold for 118,750 euros, with an original estimate of 60,000-80,000 euros.

Browse lots from this auction, and view all results by clicking here.