USA: Photographs by Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz headline Sotheby's auction of rare photos
Record ID:
784196
USA: Photographs by Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz headline Sotheby's auction of rare photos
- Title: USA: Photographs by Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz headline Sotheby's auction of rare photos
- Date: 11th February 2006
- Summary: (L!3)NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 08, 2006) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SOTHEBY'S AUCTION HOUSE SOTHEBY'S GALLERY OF PHOTOGRAPHS VARIOUS OF EDWARD STEICHEN'S "THE POND-MOONLIGHT" (SOUNDBITE) (English) DENISE BETHEL, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF SOTHEBY'S PHOTOGRAPHS DEPARTMENT SAYING: "It is multiply printed, which gives it incredible depth, color and richness. It is the summation of a whole movement in photography. I think it is fair to say that with a photograph like this, Edward Steichen showed the world that photography could rival the emotional content of painting." VARIOUS OF STEICHEN'S "BALZAC-THE OPEN SKY" VARIOUS OF ALFRED STIEGLITZ'S "POSED BY PAINTING" VARIOUS OF STIEGLITZ'S "HANDS" (SOUNDBITE) (English) DENISE BETHEL, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF SOTHEBY'S PHOTOGRAPHS DEPARTMENT SAYING: "He did not see it as one picture. He saw it as a series of pictures of someone that would continue over not a few months, not a few years, but over decades. And so he referred to this as his composite portrait of an individual. He felt is was impossible to capture one person in one picture taken at one time." VARIOUS OF STIEGLITZ'S "NUDE" VARIOUS OF MARGARET BOURKE-WHITE'S "NEW YORK FROM THE CHRYSLER BUILDING" VARIOUS OF STEICHEN'S "THE SPIRAL SHELL" SOTHEBY'S GALLERY OF PHOTOGRAPHS
- Embargoed: 26th February 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVA5Z1VO6JD8BHNTH17WU51ZS0HL
- Story Text: A picture is worth a thousand words, but some photos are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. On Wednesday (February 8, 2006), Sotheby's New York gave a sneak peek at the rare photos which will hit the auction block on February 14 and 15. Entitled "Important Photos from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," the collection includes valuable works from photographers like Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz.
The highlight of the auction is Steichen's "The Pond-Moonlight." The multiple-process photograph is one of only three known prints of the image and is the best of Steichen's early landscapes. Sotheby's estimates is will sell garner 700,000 to 1 million in U.S. dollars, making it one of the most expensive photographs ever sold.
Senior Vice President and Director of Sotheby's Photographs Department, Denise Bethel said that "The Pond-Moonlight" is deserving of a high price tag. She said, "It is multiply printed, which gives it incredible depth, color and richness. It is the summation of a whole movement in photography. I think it is fair to say that with a photograph like this, Edward Steichen showed the world that photography could rival the emotional content of painting."
Another of Steichen's work up for sale is "Balzac-The Open Sky." The photo shows Auguste Rodin's "Balzac" set against the moonlight; it was taken as part of a series of photos Steichen made featuring Rodin's creations. The photo is estimated to go for 500,000 - 700,000 USD.
The auction will also boast a few of Stieglitz's extensive series of pictures of his lover, and later his wife, Georgia O'Keeffe. The pictures will be sold individually and include "Posed by Painting," estimated to sell between 150,000 - 200,000 USD, and "Hands," estimated at 300,000 - 500,000 USD.
Bethel said that Stieglitz did not believe that one portrait photograph could capture a person's uniqueness, rather it took multiple shots. Said Bethel, "He did not see it as one picture. He saw it as a series of pictures that would continue of someone over not a few months, not a few years, but over decades. And so he referred to this as his composite portrait of an individual. He felt is was impossible to capture one person in one picture taken at one time."
Stieglitz not only captured O'Keeffe's face, but also her hands, torso, moods, and metamorphoses. His "Nude" features O'Keeffe's naked torso and is expected to sell for 300,000 - 500,000 USD.
Another notable artist featured in the auction is "New York from the Chrysler Building," by Margaret Bourke-White. The photograph, which features a view from the balcony of the Bourke-White studio, is valued between 100,000 - 150,000 USD.
The auction also offers numerous "affordable" masterpieces, like Steichen's "The Spiral Shell." The photo is Steichen's most overt photographic rendering of the spiral form. It is estimated to sell at 20,000 - 30,000 USD.
All photos in the Sotheby's auction are owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Museum is selling the selected pieces to defray the cost of its recent purchase of the Gilman Collection of photographs. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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