Results: Christie's Photographs Week, New York Totaling an extraordinary $17,608,525, the highest total in auction history for the
category, Christie’s presented its most exciting week of Photographs sales.
Sunday in Westchester, N.Y. 1968, (Estimate: $40,000-60,000) achieved $91,000.
The sale of Photographs by Ansel Adams from a California Collection totaled $4,678,000 (Estimate
$3-4.5million). The works by the legendary American photographer saw heightened and
competitive bidding from US buyers. The collection featured highlights from throughout Adams’s
distinguished career, and a mural print of Adams’s stunning Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite, 1944
(Estimate: $250,000-350,000) sold for a staggering $481,000.
The Photographs sale of various owners totaled $4,682,875 and smashed records for some of the
greatest image-makers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Two masterpieces by Irving Penn
demonstrated the breadth and scope of his artistic output from opposite sides of his working
spectrum and set unprecedented prices for the artist. The iconic Black and White Vogue Cover, 1950
(Estimate: $200,000-300,000) sold for $481,000 and set a world record for the artist in the morning
session; this was to be broken hours later in the afternoon session by his Cuzco Children, 1948
(Estimate: $250,000-350,000), which achieved $529,000 – the highest price at auction for a work by
Penn.
Other highlights included Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Hyeres, France, 1932 (Estimate: $60,000-90,000),
which sold for $265,000 – a world record for the artist and Robert Mapplethorpe, Calla Lily, 1988
(Estimate: $100,000-150,000) which totaled $265,000.
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Note to Editors
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 2007, the Department is
led by Philippe Garner and Joshua Holdeman, who between them have 47 years experience. Supported by
eight 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 its stays at the forefront of this highly
competitive and developing art market. A broad range of photographs, from 19th century through
contemporary material make up Christie's worldwide sales and exceptional prices have been achieved for
artists such as Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus Richard Avedon, Bill Brandt, Edward S. Curtis, William Eggleston,
Walker Evans, Roger Fenton, Robert Frank, Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, Man Ray,
Alfred Stieglitz, and William Henry Fox Talbot. Christie's now holds three annual Photographs sales in New
York and in London - at King Street and South Kensington - as well as in Paris.
About Christie’s
Christie’s is the world's leading art business with global auction sales in 2007 that totaled £3.1 billion/$6.3
billion. This marks the highest total in company and in art auction history. Christie’s is a name and place that
speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour. Founded in
1766 by James Christie, Christie's conducted the greatest auctions of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and
today remains a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christie’s offers over 600 sales annually in
over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts,
