Photographs are becoming the "Hot" Collectible at Christie's AUction records are being set on collectible photography. Upcoming auction at Christie's set for February 14, 2006
New York - With Christie’s New York totaling over $14.5 million in last October’s Photographs sales, and with the International Department commanding over half of the global auction market in 2005, photograph prices at Christie’s are on the rise – in October alone, 13 new auction records were set.
This February, Christie’s offers younger and new buyers the opportunity to bid on over 275 lots in a sale that is expected to realize $1.2 million. With estimates starting at $1,500, the auction concentrates on the more affordable end of the market, while still offering collectors the opportunity to buy iconic images by world-renowned photographers.
Later prints by recent world-record breakers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Irving Penn and Helmut Newton offer bidders lots at attractive prices, and Christie’s remains committed to encouraging new collectors to enter the field.
Ten Irving Penn lots in the sale, with estimates starting at $6,000, are led by ‘Vogue’ Beauty Head with Eyes Closed, 1984, printed 1991 and Bouchers, Paris, 1950, printed 1976 (both estimated: $10,000-15,000); 14 Henri Cartier-Bresson images include the well-known Rue Mouffetard, 1952, printed later (estimate: $8,000-10,000); and two Helmut Newton photographs include Woman Being Filmed, Paris, 1980 (estimate: $9,000-12,000).
Other notable lots expected to garner considerable attention include a desirable Harry Callahan lot depicting a winter landscape, Chicago, 1950, printed later (estimate: $9,000-12,000) and a selection of contemporary imagery by Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Shirin Neshat and David Hockney (estimates start at $3,000).
The ever-popular Edward S. Curtis depictions of Native American Indians are well-represented in the auction, with over 20 lots featured. Estimates start at $2,500.
More expensive, notable works in the sale include the albumen print Au Port Salut Cabaret, Rue des Fossés St, Jacques, c.1903 by Eugène Atget(estimate: $25,000-35,000); a 1975 print of Ansel Adams iconic Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941 (estimate: $30,000-50,000); and a captivating print collage Portraits, London/Paris/Nairobi, Collected at Hog Ranch, 1960s-1970s by Peter Beard (estimate: $30,000-50,000).
Auction: Photographs
February 14, 2006
Viewing: Christie’s Rockefeller, New York
February 10 – 13
Christie’s International Photographs Department leads the world in the field of photograph auctions and offers clients unrivalled expertise. Capturing over half of the global auction market in 2005, the Department is led by Philippe Garner and Joshua Holdeman, who between them have 47 years experience. Supported by six specialists working across two continents, the Department is the only major international auction house to hold sales in Paris, as well as in the traditional centers of New York and London. Bringing auctions closer to a discerning, international clientele, the Department ensures it stays at the forefront of this highly competitive and developing art market.
