Auction: Photographs, April 8, 2011 @Christie's

Christie's finishes up its spring Photographs run with a various owner sale on Friday. I can't imagine there are too many vintage Eggleston tricycles still in private hands, so I'm sure the bidding for this icon of color photography will be fierce. I also assume the Frank spiral-bound Peru signed to Alexy Brodovitch with a MoMA provenance is a one of a kind treasure and will bring some serious Frank collectors out of the woodwork. With Penn images interspersed throughout the sale, there are a total of 211 photographs on offer, with a total High estimate of $5046000.

Here's the statistical breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000): 93
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): $570000

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000): 101

Total Mid Estimate: $2346000

Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000): 17
Total High Estimate: $2130000

The top lot by High estimate is lot 561, Irving Penn, Cuzco Children, 1948/1977, at $250000-350000.

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Here's the complete list of photographers represented by five or more lots in the sale (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Irving Penn (19)

Bruce Weber (18)
Robert Mapplethorpe (10)
William Eggleston (9)
Ansel Adams (7)
Richard Avedon (6)
Harry Callahan (6)
Henri Cartier-Bresson (6)
Robert Frank (6)
Andre Kertesz (6)
Bernd and Hilla Becher (5)
Sally Mann (5)
Erwin Olaf (5)
Herb Ritts (5)

(Lot 452, Robert Frank, Peru, 1948, at $100000-150000, at right, middle, lot 480, William Eggleston, Memphis (Tricycle), 1969-70, at $200000-300000, at right, top, and lot 491, Maurice Tabard, Montage (Nue), 1929, at $15000-25000, at right, bottom, all via Christie's.)
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The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here. The eCatalogue is located here.

Photographs

April 8th

Christie's

20 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, NY 10020