Auction: The Delighted Eye, Modernist Masterworks from a Private Collection @Christie's New York

I have never met Carlos Cruz, but having pored over the catalog of his breathtaking single owner sale coming up at Christie's next week, I have a deep respect and affinity for his underlying process as a collector. I have never been a particular convert to the spontaneous "buy what you love" school of photography collecting, so Cruz' methodical, systematic, patient approach to building his collection resonates fully with my structured brain. While serendipity and lucky hunting are certainly part of the game of collecting, I could only nod my head in agreement with the description of Cruz' activities in the front of the catalog: a rigorous study and pre-visualization of what he was looking for, a thoughtful logic and intellectual framework, a bounded period of time (roughly late 19th century to 1925), an emphasis on single, high quality examples, and a tireless adherence to this regimen. The fact that he was able to build this collection at a distance from the major art capitals (from Santiago, Chile) makes its breadth and quality all the more remarkable.

Nearly every single work in this catalog is a subtle wow moment of one kind or another; there is very little, if any, chaff in this bundle of exceptional Modernist/Futurist/Dada wheat. Perhaps what I like best is the sense of individuality in this collection, of not picking the best known or most highly regarded image by any of the masters in this parade, but of looking hard and long enough to uncover the gems that truly represent a photographer's particular innovation or originality. There are great, unexpected choices everywhere: a great Rossler abstraction, an elegant Sudek broken dish, a tactile textured sheet by Modotti, the looming De Meyer chrysanthemums, the layered Funke bottle shadows, all extraordinary but less than obvious. Overall, there are a total of 71 lots of photography available in the sale, with a total High estimate of $7564000. I'm very much looking forward to the preview.

Here's the statistical breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000): 2
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): $16000

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000): 32
Total Mid Estimate: $868000

Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000): 37
Total High Estimate: $6680000

The top photography lot by High estimate is lot 7, Edward Weston, Nude, 1925, estimated at $400000-600000 (image at right, top, via Christie's.)

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

Man Ray (4)
Edward Steichen (4)
Eugene Atget (2)
Anton Bruehl (2)
Etienne-Jules Marey (2)
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (2)
Alfred Stieglitz (2)

In an astonishing sale like this, it's nearly impossible to single out just a few lots that are of particular interest. That said, here are two that had me shaking my head with amazement: lot 31, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Vortograph (The Eagle), 1917, estimated at $200000-300000 (image at right, middle, via Christie's) and lot 24, Edward Steichen, Bricks (West 86th Street), New York, c1922, estimated at $200000-300000 (image at right, bottom, via Christie's).

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.

The Delighted Eye: Modernist Masterworks from a Private Collection
April 4th

Christie's
20 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10020

Chronicle @Denny

JTF (just the facts): A group show consisting of work by four artists, variously framed and matted, and hung against white walls in the main gallery space and the smaller back room. (Installation shots at right.)

The following artists/photographers have been included in the exhibit, with details in parentheses:

• Nadja Frank (1 Super 8 film transferred to digital file projected on marble, 40x29x1, from 2013, 2 inkjet prints, 35x44, in editions of 5, from 2010, 3 concrete, gravel, resin and pigment sculptures, from 16x12x8 to 21x11x9, all from 2013)
• Riitta Ikonen (2 digital c-prints, 26x39 and 18x18, in editions of 7 and 5 respectively, from 2007 and 2008, 1 11:52  minute video performance, in an edition of 5, from 2012)
• Sarah Kabot (3 archival pigment prints, 59x30x2, 43x30x1, and 20x18/2, all from 2012, 1 set of 3 site specific mirrors with archival pigment prints, 18, 12, and 6 inch diameters, from 2013)
• Jackie Mock (1 set of paintbrushes, 19x6x1, from 2010, 1 cabinet of spoons, 108x18x19, from 2013, 1 wooden case of paint samples, 27x33x3, from 2012)

 

Comments/Context: The prevailing narrative of the current contemporary art world is one led by the menacing encroachment of the genetically-modified, go big or go home, mega gallery system and its crowding out of the middle tier of well-established players. What is being overlooked in this story line is the flowering of new storefront galleries popping up on the Lower East Side, in Brooklyn, and elsewhere in the city, where leading edge and emerging art is being displayed with quirky eclecticism and smart professionalism. Smash these entrepreneurial folks out of Chelsea with punishingly high rents and they'll tenaciously appear elsewhere in new forms and under new names. If we're fearful of the monolithic beast of big box art, we need to spend our time carefully watching the underlying structural transformation taking place and following the emergence of these new venues.

 

Denny Gallery is one of the new spots to track on the LES. A subset of the current group show contains artists using photography as part of their artistic practice. Nadja Frank has modified the walls of a Carrara marble quarry, painting the rough facets in pastel blue, green, and purple. The resulting images transform the place from an industrial site to something more abstract, with slabs of soft man-made color echoing across the open space. Sarah Kabot's photographs of bookshelves play with the sculptural third dimension of protruding space; book spines jut outward in prints that are accordion folded or shredded into long strands of fringe. Up in the corners of the gallery, what look like security mirrors turn out to be layered modifications, where mixed shards of mirror reflect the long fluorescent bulbs on the gallery ceiling and collaged inlaid photographs repeat the motifs. In the back room, Riitta Ikonen uses photography to document her performances and interventions, lying in a snowless, turned over farm field dressed as a peppy white snowflake or perching in a park tree on a dreary London day clad in a green leaf costume.

 

All in, there are nuggets of intriguing ideas worth following in each body of work here. For a young gallery still finding its way, it's a promising photographic start.

 

Collector's POV: The photographic works in this show are priced as follows. Nadja Frank's inkjet prints are $3800 each, while her video on marble is $3000. Sarah Kabot's pigment print sculptures range from $1500 to $3500, with the mirrors marked POR. Riitta Ikonen's prints are $1650 and $3200 each, based on size. None of these artists has any significant secondary market history, so gallery retail is likely the best/only option for those collectors interested in following up.

 

Rating: * (one star) GOOD (rating system described here)

Transit Hub:

• Nadja Frank feature: FlashArt (here)
• Riitta Ikonen artist site (here)
• Sarah Kabot artist site (here)

Chronicle

Through March 30th

Denny Gallery

261 Broome Street

New York, NY 10002

The Checklist: 3/28/13

Current New York Photography Shows
New reviews added this week in red.
(Rating: Artist/Title: Venue: Closing Date: link to review)

Uptown

ONE STAR: After Photoshop: Met: May 27: review
TWO STARS: William Eggleston: Met: July 28: review

Midtown

ONE STAR: Valérie Belin: Edwynn Houk: March 30: review
ONE STAR: New Wave Finland: Scandinavia House: April 6: review
ONE STAR: Peter Hujar: Pace/MacGill: April 20: review
TWO STARS: The Shaping of New Visions: MoMA: April 21: review
ONE STAR: William Klein: Howard Greenberg: April 27: review

Chelsea

ONE STAR: Bill Armstrong: Clamp Art: April 6: review
TWO STARS: Zanele Muholi: Yancey Richardson: April 6: review
ONE STAR: Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard: Bruce Silverstein: April 13: review
THREE STARS: Enrique Metinides: Aperture: April 20: review

SoHo/Lower East Side/Downtown

No reviews at this time.

Elsewhere Nearby

No reviews at this time.

Forward Auction Calendar
New auctions added this week in red.
(Sale Date: Sale Title: Auction House: link to catalog)

March 29-April 12: Photographs of Diane Arbus: Christie's (Online): catalog
April 2/3: Important Photographs from the Collection of Dr. Anthony Terrana: Phillips (New York): catalog
April 3: Photographs: Phillips (New York): catalog
April 4: The Delighted Eye: Modernist Masterworks from a Private Collection: Christie's (New York ): catalog
April 5: Photographs: Christie's (New York): catalog
April 5: The Modern Image: Photographs from an Important American Collection: Sotheby's (New York): catalog
April 6: Photographs: Sotheby's (New York): catalog
April 11: Under the Influence: Phillips (London): catalog
April 18: Fine Photographs & Photobooks: Swann (New York): catalog

Auction: Photographs, April 3, 2013 @Phillips New York

Phillips' upcoming various owner Photographs sale is a diverse mix, with a few eyecatchers and many more solid, middle of the road works by well known names to sift through. All in, there are a total of 141 photographs on offer, with a total High estimate of $3527500.

Here's the statistical breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000): 37
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): $244500

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000): 91
Total Mid Estimate: $2073000

Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000): 13
Total High Estimate: $1210000

The top lot by High estimate is lot 177, Edward Steichen, Diagram of Doom - 2, c1922, estimated at $120000-180000 (image at right, top, via Phillips).

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

Robert Mapplethorpe (9)
Irving Penn (7)
Peter Beard (5)
Helmut Newton (5)
Henri Cartier-Bresson (4)
Andre Kertesz (4)
Hiroshi Sugimoto (4)
Diane Arbus (3)
Lee Friedlander (3)
Horst P. Horst (3)

Other works of interest include lot 205, Irving Penn, Poppy: Showgirl, New York, 1968/1989, estimated at $50000-70000 (image at right middle, via Phillips), and lot 206, Lee Friedlander, Galax, Virginia, 1962/1960s, estimated at $30000-40000 (image at right, bottom, via Phillips).

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.

Photographs
April 3rd

Phillips
450 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10022

At War with the Obvious: Photographs by William Eggleston @Met

JTF (just the facts): A total of 36 color photographs, framed in brown wood and matted, and hung in a series of three small rooms on the second floor of the museum. All of the works are dye transfer prints, taken between 1969 and 1984; most are vintage prints. Physical sizes range from 12x17 to 15x22 or reverse; no edition information was available. (Installation shots at right.)

Comments/Context: This exhibit is an example of the entirely natural desire of a museum to show off its new acquisitions. Last year, the Met acquired a high quality selection of early Egglestons (a complete set from his first portfolio, a group of 15 images from William Eggleston's Guide, and a handful of other iconic pictures) and this show gets them up on the walls with little delay. There isn't really any scholarly framework or new thinking here, just an impressive sample of Eggleston's early dye transfers.

While it's hard to beat the tricycle, the red ceiling, the peaches sign, or the green shower stall, I was most interested to see Eggleston's first portfolio from 1974. While the used tires sign, the plastic animals, and the rusted truck in the afternoon sun were familiar to me, the others from the group were more obscure and therefore more intriguing as potential evidence of things to come in his future artistic life. Angles and geometries dominate a claustrophobic brick wall parking space and are also found in the distorted sideways perspective of an office curtain seen through the front window. Decay is never far from view, whether it be the red bars of a swingset poking out of overgrown greenery or a rusted metal target suspended from scraggly treetops. And the quirks of vernacular Southern America are also ever present: a painted dog statue on a stepped pedestal, decorative lights on the roofline of a snack shack, or the plastic flowers that adorn a Faith sign. In a many ways, these first images provide a surprisingly useful framework for what would come later.

I would certainly be remiss if I failed to touch on the rich, saturated color in these dye transfers. Even in the most mundane compositions, Eggleston's masterful command of everyday color is repeatedly demonstrated, coming through again and again with tactile lushness. While most collectors and photography enthusiasts will be familiar with much of what is on view here, that in no way diminishes the enjoyment that comes from a few lazy minutes reveling in the wonders of this color. The orange airplane, the yellow curb, the green dress, the red room, the golden piano, we've seen them before, but they never get old.

 

Collector's POV: Since this is a museum show, there are obviously no posted prices for the works on display. Eggleston's work is routinely available in the secondary markets, with lesser known images and iconic works coming up for sale with surprising regularity. Recent prices for single images have roughly ranged from a reasonable $5000 to the blockbuster $578500, a record achieved last year by one of the new (and somewhat controversial) extra large digital prints. Eggleston is represented by Cheim & Read in New York (here).

 

Rating: ** (two stars) VERY GOOD (rating system described here)

Transit Hub:

• Eggleston Trust site (here)
• Features/Reviews: Wall Street Journal (here)

 

At War with the Obvious: Photographs by William Eggleston

Through July 28th

 

Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10028

Auction: Important Photographs from the Collection of Dr. Anthony Terrana, April 2 and 3, 2013 @Phillips New York

Phillips begins the 2013 Spring auction season for photography with a two session, single owner sale drawn from the collection of Dr. Anthony Terrana. It's a broad selection, covering both well known names and more recent contemporary work, with a strong group of 20th century icons from the likes of Stieglitz, Kertesz, Frank, Arbus, Weston, and Moholy-Nagy at its core. All in, there are a total of 165 photographs on offer, with a total High estimate of $5400000. As a side note, while flipping through the catalog, I noticed a repeated pattern - an impressive 76 of the available lots came into Terrana's collection via the Robert Klein Gallery.

Here's the statistical breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000): 78
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): $533000

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000): 64
Total Mid Estimate: $1452000

Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000): 23
Total High Estimate: $3415000

The top lot by High estimate is tied between lot 12, Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe, 1919 (image at right, top, via Phillips), and lot 19, Irving Penn, Harlequin Dress (Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn), 1950, both estimated at $300000-500000.

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

Robert Frank (4)
Sally Mann (4)
Henri Cartier-Bresson (3)
Pieter Hugo (3)
Abelardo Morell (3)
Vik Muniz (3)
Edward Steichen (3)
Alfred Stieglitz (3)

Other works of interest include lot 22, Paul Strand, Venice, Italy, 1911, estimated at $180000-220000 (image at right middle, via Phillips), and lot 21, Charles Sheeler, Chartres-Flying Buttresses at the Crossing, 1929, estimated at $50000-70000 (image at right, bottom, via Phillips).

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.

Important Photographs from the Collection of Dr. Anthony Terrana
April 2nd and 3rd

Phillips
450 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10022

William Klein: Paintings, etc. @Greenberg

JTF (just the facts): A total of 9 paintings and 13 photographs, variously framed and unmatted, and hung against light brown walls in the main gallery space, the book alcove, and the back transition gallery. All of the photographs are gelatin silver prints, taken between 1949 and 1962 and printed later. Physical dimensions range from 20x24 to 60x64; editions are either 15 or 30, except for the hand painted contacts which are unique. The paintings were made between 1948 and 1964 and range in size from 21x30 to 91x182. A monograph of this body of work was recently published by Contrasto Books (here). (Installation shots at right.)

Comments/Context: While William Klein's brash street and fashion photography have already cemented their rightful place in photographic history, this show digs back to the very beginning of his career, where his transition from painter to photographer was taking place. It provides clues to Klein's evolving graphic sensibility and chronicles his early experiments using photography to achieve gestural, painterly results.

Klein's paintings from the late 1940s and early 1950s are full of stark lines and hard edged geometries. Still life objects and tabletops are pared down to abstract black and white forms, eventually giving way to layers of colored shapes and interlocked lines. His early photographs from the same period follow a similar trajectory. His pair of 1949 barn sides are a positive/negative inversion of high contrast black and white, reducing the structure to lines and edges. That same year, he began playing with light drawings, creating thick, loopy movements of black on white and more frenetic, squiggly compositions of white on black; both are reminiscent of Barbara Morgan's light drawings from the early 1940s, but are clearly part of Klein's ongoing investigations of how photography could be used for abstraction. Images from just a few years later find Klein using blurred multiple exposure squares to create movement and bright verticals to create high impact linearity. In the early 1960s, Klein returned to the light drawings, this time hybridizing them with fashion imagery, with models appearing to juggle balls and blow smoke rings made of gestural white light. And this mashup idea comes full circle in a selection of his recent contacts, where enlarged photographic sheets have been overpainted with vibrant, active marks.

I think this show provides an important backstory to the larger Klein narrative and helps to explain some of his later artistic decision making. These photographs are big and muscular, more loose than the paintings. They show Klein incorporating his learnings from painting and extending them into the vocabulary of photography, in the process, bringing fresh immediacy and vitality to the medium. With the intermediate steps now visible, his original sense for the bold and graphic now seems entirely understandable.

Collector's POV: The photographs in the show are priced between $14000 and $30500; the paintings are generally NFS, except for the huge mural, which is $105000. Klein's work is routinely available in the secondary markets for photography, particularly his later prints. Prices have ranged between roughly $1000 and $145000, with the top end of that range reserved for vintage prints of his most iconic images.

Rating: * (one star) GOOD (rating system described here)

Transit Hub:

• Features: NY Times Lens (here), Interview (here)
• HackelBury exhibit, 2012 (here)

 

William Klein: Paintings, etc.

Through April 27th

Howard Greenberg Gallery
41 East 57th Street
New York, NY 10022

Auction Results: Photographs, March 23, 2013 @Heritage Beverly Hills

The results of the various owner Photographs sale at Heritage last week were generally weak. While the overall Buy-In rate was under 20%, 57% of the lots that sold found buyers at prices below the low estimate, likely the result of both lesser known material and a thin bidding base. With that as a backdrop, it shouldn't be a surprise that the Total Sale Proceeds fell under the range.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 121
Pre Sale Low Total Estimate: $497300
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: $777500
Total Lots Sold: 100
Total Lots Bought In: 21
Buy In %: 17.36%
Total Sale Proceeds: $375457

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 106
Low Sold: 89
Low Bought In: 17
Buy In %: 16.04%
Total Low Estimate: $394500
Total Low Sold: $218894

Mid Total Lots: 14
Mid Sold: 11
Mid Bought In: 3
Buy In %: 21.43%
Total Mid Estimate: $303000
Total Mid Sold: $156563

High Total Lots: 1
High Sold: 0
High Bought In: 1
Buy In %: 100.00%
Total High Estimate: $80000
Total High Sold: $0

The top lot by High estimate is lot 74032, Irving Penn, Picasso, Cannes, 1957/before 1965, estimated at $60000-80000; it did not sell. The top photography outcome of the sale was lot 74084, Ansel Adams, Portfolio V, 1936-1960/1979, estimated at $30000-50000, sold at $43750.

Only 43.00% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range. There were a total of three surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 74103, Cindy Sherman, Untitled (Lucille Ball), 1975/2001, estimated at $4000-6000, sold at $23750 (image at right, top, via Heritage)
Lot 74111, Robert Mapplethorpe, Lady, Lisa Lyon, 1982, estimated at $600-800, sold at $1625 (image at right, bottom, via Heritage)
Lot 74115, Steven Meisel, Madonna Hitching, 1992/later, estimated at $3000-5000, sold at $10625 (image at right, middle, via Heritage)

Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Heritage Auctions
9478 W. Olympic Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Peter Hujar @Pace/MacGill

JTF (just the facts): A total of 18 black and white photographs, framed in white and matted, and hung against grey and white walls in the two room gallery space. All of the works are either vintage gelatin silver prints or posthumously printed digital pigment prints, made from negatives taken between 1973 and 1985. The individual prints range in size from 15x15 to 16x16 and there is one triptych. There is no edition information for the vintage prints; the digital pigment prints come in editions of 10. (No photography is allowed in the gallery, so the installation shots at right are via the Pace/MacGill website.)

Comments/Context: Pace/MacGill has recently taken over New York representation of the estate of Peter Hujar, so this show provides an introductory entry point for those who might be unfamiliar with the artist's work. For the most part, it gathers together a selection of Hujar's penetratingly spare portraits of 1970s/1980s downtown artists, writers, and other scene makers, with a few animals and nudes thrown in for good measure.

Hujar was particularly adept at taking a simple, straightforward, some might say classical, center-focused compositional style and infusing this approach with surprising intensity and personal connection. Regardless of whether his subject was a drag queen, a friend, or a famous name, he was consistently able to come away with portraits that were sharp and perceptive without sacrificing sensitivity. Candy Darling on her deathbed and the deadpan face of David Wojnarowicz will be familiar to many, but other lesser known figures peer out from subtle cones of light here as well and demand our respect and attention with equal force and presence.

While many of Hujar's portraits are important both as documents and artworks, his trio of male nudes in the second room is to my eye a riskier and more durably original artistic expression. Not only are these three portraits full frontal male nudes, which by itself would be somewhat unusual, they boldly celebrate the male erection, a visual taboo for many even today. What is thought provoking about these photographs is not exactly that Hujar took forbidden pictures, but that he bypassed both a Modernist abstraction of the body into line and form and a campy beefcake style aimed at a queer audience and instead opted for a stripped bare structure, using a subject with a sinewy dancer's body and posing him in an unadorned, featureless space. The effect is both quietly pure and extremely personal, the power of the experience reflected in each tensed muscle. The images are erotic to be sure, but taut and elemental rather than lightly titillating.

All in, this is a solid first-level sampler of the artist's career. Go for the discerning parade of John Waters, Divine, Peggy Lee, William Burroughs, and others, but my guess is you will come away haunted by the unexpected intensity of the show-all male nudes.

Collector's POV: The vintage prints in this show are priced at $20000 each, with a few marked "sold out" or "museum sale only". The posthumous digital prints are $10000 each, with the triptych at $25000. Hujar's work has not been consistently available at auction over the years; his prints do pop up from time to time, but not with any great regularity. Prices have generally ranged between $2000 and $25000.

Rating: * (one star) GOOD (rating system described here)

Transit Hub:

• Features/Reviews: Time Lightbox (here)

Peter Hujar
Through April 20th

Pace/MacGill Gallery
32 East 57th Street
New York, NY 10022

Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard @Silverstein

JTF (just the facts): A total of 35 photographic works, variously framed and matted, and hung against white walls throughout the front room/entry, the main gallery space, and the smaller back room. The show mixes individual works by Nicolai Howalt (14) and Trine Søndergaard (10) and includes collaborations by the two artists together (11). The works span the period from 1997 to 2012. (Installation shots at right.)

 

Details on the available photographs are as follows:

 

Howalt

3 analog c-prints, 17x20 or 26x35, editions of 5+2AP, 1998-1999
3 analog c-print diptychs, each panel 24x19 or 55x47, editions of 3+2AP, 2001
1 digital c-print mounted to aluminum, 71x87, edition of 5+2AP, 2009
1 set 6 digital c-prints, each 26x32, edition of 5+2AP, 2009
4 digital c-prints, each 12x15, editions of 5+1AP, 2010
1 pigment print, 24x29, edition of 5+2AP, 2011
1 digital c-print, 70x61, edition of 5+2AP, 2011

Søndergaard

2 analog c-prints, each 19x19, editions of 5+2AP, 1997-2000
1 analog c-print diptych, each panel 19x19, editions of 5+2AP, 2003
1 chromogenic print mounted to dibond, 59x59, edition of 3+2AP, 2008
2 chromogenic prints, each 39x39, editions of 5+2AP, 2008-2009
1 pigment print, 2 digital c-prints, each 23x23, editions of 5+2AP, 2009
1 archival inkjet print, 59x59, edition of 5+2AP, 2012

Howalt and Søndergaard

3 photogravures, each 21x18, editions of 18+2AP, 2005-2010
5 digital c-prints, variously sized from 19x14 to 38x30, editions of 5+2AP, 2007
2 digital c-prints, each 62x78, editions of 3+2AP, 2010
1 silkscreen print, 55x39, edition of 5+2AP, 2012

Comments/Context: It isn't often that a gallery show delivers not one but two mini-sampler career retrospectives, but this exhibit of the work of Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard does just that, with a selection of their joint collaborations thrown in for good measure. The overall effect is a bit bouncy (given the "one of each" style), but when you step back and sort through which pictures belong to whom, patterns, repeated themes, and visible progressions emerge for both artists. I had the distinct impression that in both cases, their work is getting stronger and more conceptually nuanced with each successive project.

Even a decade later, Howalt's before and after boxers remain sharp and incisive. Angelic young faces become bloodied, sweaty, flushed and exhausted, the boys passing through a ritual trial, emerging roughed up but knowing. The artist's more recent remnants of car crash violence and Danish border landscapes continue this study of edges and transitions, culminating in new nearly abstract images of cremation remains (the ultimate crossing point). What might sound dreary is in fact swirling and textural, with flecks of contrast mixed into the white and black powdery undulations.

 

Søndergaard's photographs continue an ongoing investigation into the nature of portraiture, considering how cultural identifiers move from past to present and how indirect angles and turned away faces create different kinds of narratives. While her Versus pairings of look alike portraits and sculpture from the Thorvaldsens Museum and her Strude images of young girls obscured by folk costumes begin this line of thinking, her most recent work is even more intriguing. I was particularly engrossed by the elusive darkness in Søndergaard's smart Monochrome Portraits, where sitters recede into enveloping shadowy color; the portraits are simple and straightforward, and yet entirely mysterious and uncertain. And in her Guldnakke series, the young women in ornate traditional bonnets face away, leaving the viewer to revel in the details of embroidery and threading but unable to directly connect the history to the modern world.

 

Their collaborative work over the years seems to weave their two separate perspectives into one seamless set of ideas. Silhouettes of crumpled birds shot midair, portraits of solitary trees fighting for existence in snow bound high altitudes, and composite scenes of hunting rituals (full of men, dogs, beaters, birds, and snowy forests) all mix portraiture with the fragility of life. Their recent screenprints of the gnarled, tactile forms of a 1500 year old tree continue this thinking, combining the rough texture of layered bark with the enduring puzzle of relentless, persistent growth.

I think what I liked best about this show as the sense that the artists were idea people first, and that their art was an evolving visual manifestation of their experiments with those ideas. I suppose this same thing might be said of all artists to some degree, but for me, there was a very real feeling of tracing their individual/mutual paths of ideas here. The sampler organization of the show provides the photographic bread crumbs to follow, allowing viewers not just to see the fresh, new pictures made recently, but also to place them into a larger, more comprehensive intellectual context.

 

Collector's POV: The prices in this show span a wide range, seemingly different for every single piece on view. Howalt's works range from $3000 to $30000, while Søndergaard's works range from $6300 to $19100 (with 1 NFS and 1 POR); their collaborations start at $1725 and rise up to $23000. While prints from both of the artists and their partnership have recently found their way into the secondary markets, there have been so few transactions that any kind of historical pattern is difficult to discern. As such, gallery retail likely remains the best option for those collectors interested in following up.

 

Rating: * (one star) GOOD (rating system described here)

 

Transit Hub:

• Howalt artist site (here)
• Howalt interview : Lay Flat (here)
• Søndergaard artist site (here)
• Søndergaard interview: Ahorn (here)

Nicolai Howalt and Trine Sondergaard

Through April 13th

 

Bruce Silverstein Gallery

535 West 24th Street

New York, NY 10011

Auction: Photographs, March 23, 2013 @Heritage Beverly Hills

Heritage has a various owner Photographs sale scheduled for later this week in Beverly Hills. While there are a few top end lots on offer, most of the work for sale is in the lower price bracket, with many later prints and lesser known images to be looked through. Overall, there are a total of 121 photographs available, with a total High estimate of $777500.

Here's the statistical breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000): 106
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): $394500

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000): 14
Total Mid Estimate: $303000

Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000): 1
Total High Estimate: $80000

The top lot by High estimate is lot 74032, Irving Penn, Picasso, Cannes, 1957/before 1965, at $60000-80000 (image at right, top, via Heritage).

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

Peter Basch (6)
Ansel Adams (5)
Alfred Eisenstaedt (5)
Leonard Freed (5 )
Irving Penn (4)
Herb Ritts (4)
Jerry Uelsmann (4)
Berenice Abbott (3)
Andre Kertesz (3)
Helen Levitt (3)
Thomas Mangelsen (3)
Minor White (3 )
Francesca Woodman (3)

Other works of interest include Lot 74117, Justine Kurland, Kung Fu Fighters, 1999, estimated at $2000-4000 (image at right, bottom, via Heritage).

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.

Photographs
March 23rd

Heritage Auctions
9478 W. Olympic Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Everyday America: Photographs from the Berman Collection @Kasher

JTF (just the facts): A total of 115 black and white and color photographs, variously framed and matted, and hung against white walls in the North and South gallery spaces, as well as the alcove and the smaller viewing room in back. A total of 32 different photographers are represented in the show. Sizes range from 6x4 to 55x45 (or reverse), and negative dates range from 1929 to 2004. All of the works come from the Berman collection. (Installation shots at right.)

The following photographers are included in the show, with the number of prints on view and their dates in parentheses:

• Margaret Bourke-White (2 gelatin silver prints, 1935/1996, 1936/1996)
• Harry Callahan (1 gelatin silver print, 1948/1970s)
• William Christenberry (1 digital pigment print, 1976/2005)
• William Clift (1 gelatin silver print, 1970)
• Robert Dawson (1 chromogenic dye coupler print, 1985/1990)
• William Eggleston (2 chromogenic dye coupler prints, 1970s)
• Mitch Epstein (8 chromogenic dye coupler prints, 1973/2005, 1983/2005, 1996/1997, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 1 Fujicrystal archive print, 2004)
• Terry Evans (2 archival inkjet prints, 2003, 2004)
• Walker Evans (22 gelatin silver prints, 1929/1971, 1930/1971, 1931/1971, 1931/1974, 1930s/1971, 1935/1960s, 1935/1971, 1936/1971, 1936/1974, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1962/1960s, 1969)
• Robert Frank (3 gelatin silver prints, 1953/1970s, 1956/1980, 1950s/1979)
• Todd Hido (1 chromogenic dye coupler print, 2000)
• Evelyn Hofer (4 gelatin silver prints, 1963/later, 1965/later)
• John Humble (5 chromogenic dye coupler prints, 1991/2006, 1995/2003, 1995/2005, 1997/2005, 1998/2005)
• David Husom (2 chromogenic dye coupler prints, 1981/2002, 2001, 1 Ektacolor print, 1978/1994)
• Birney Imes (4 chromogenic dye coupler print, 1986, 1986/2004, 1989/2003)
• Dorothea Lange (13 gelatin silver prints, 1930/1935, 1930s, 1935/1950, 1936/1950s, 1937, 1938, 1941, 1942, 1951/1965, 1952, 1957/1960s)
• Russell Lee (4 dye transfer prints, 1940/1986)
• Helen Levitt (2 gelatin silver prints, 1937/later, 1939/later)
• Martin Parr (1 chromogenic dye coupler print, 2001)
• Christian Patterson (1 chromogenic dye coupler print, 2003)
• Sheron Rupp (2 chromogenic dye coupler prints, 1983/1990s, 1990/1990s)
• Gene Peterson (9 gelatin silver prints, 1950)
• Stephen Shore (1 dye transfer print, 1981/1982)
• Aaron Siskind (3 gelatin silver prints, 1935/later, 1937/1976, 1938/1976)
• Mike Smith (2 chromogenic dye coupler prints, 1996, 2000)
• Joel Sternfeld (2 Ektacolor prints, 1983/1986, 1993/1994, 2 chromogenic dye coupler prints, 1997, 2005)
• George Tice (1 gelatin silver print, 1970/1993)
• John Vachon (1 dye transfer print, 1940/1985)
• Chris Verene (1 chromogenic dye coupler print, 1993/2002)
• Camilo Jose Vergara (4 chromogenic dye coupler prints, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1988)
• James Welling (4 gelatin silver prints, 1990/1990s, 1991/1990s)
• Henry Wessel (1 gelatin silver print, 1974)

Comments/Context: By its very definition, the word collector implies a focus on hunting, gathering, search and acquisition. It's a forward looking, accretive mindset, generally adding up rather than subtracting. But at the end of every collecting road, there is a less well publicized unwinding, where artworks once treasured by the collector must find new homes. The three classic Ds (debt, death, and divorce) often act as catalysts for the breaking up process, but we tend not to spend much time talking about the best ways to actually make this disassembly take place smoothly.

The unpacking of the Berman collection of photography has been a particularly public example of the dispersion of a large collection. Once tallying up at over 2500+ photographs, its break up has been and continues to be a huge undertaking. To date, the remonetization of the collection has included donations to various Los Angeles museums (LACMA, MOCA, and the Getty), a series of auctions at Christie's, and now the first of likely a few gallery shows of additional slices of material, with the overall process measured in years and heading for an end to end duration of nearly a decade.

This show combines lower priced and lesser known material that was likely not a terrific fit for auction with a number of vintage gems that somehow avoided earlier pick throughs. As a reminder, the Berman collection had a focus on American photography, with particular interest in built structures and vernacular architecture, mixing 20th century and contemporary work. This particular selection is heavy on work by Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange (both vintage and later prints), with a solid dose of Mitch Epstein and a sprinkling of Frank, Sternfeld, Siskind, Levitt and many others, known and unknown. Building facades, commercial signage, and sidewalk storefronts are common subject matter, mixing urban and rural locales with equal measure. The rigid geometries of Evelyn Hofer's stone windows give way to John Humble's saturated color California strip architecture, and Walker Evans' New England interiors connect to Birney Imes' vibrant Southern juke joints. Dorothea Lange's Funeral Cortege, End of an Era in a Small Valley Town, from 1935 is the star of the show, with its classic pained expression caught in the hearse window.

All in, this is a lively compendium of American photography, covering roughly 75 years of artistic history. Hung up and down in jumping pairs and groups, there's plenty to catch your eye and compare.

Collector's POV: The prints in the show are priced as follows:

• Margaret Bourke-White: $3000 each
• Harry Callahan: $12000
• William Christenberry: $4000
• William Clift: $3500
• Robert Dawson: $2000
• William Eggleston: $12500, $20000
• Mitch Epstein: $7500, $9500
• Terry Evans: $3500 each
• Walker Evans: $5000, $6000, $8000, $8500, $12000, $12500, $15000
• Robert Frank: $8500, $12500, $25000
• Todd Hido: $4800
• Evelyn Hofer: $7500, $8500
• John Humble: $5000 each
• David Husom: $1800 each
• Birney Imes: $1500, $2000, $4000, $5500
• Dorothea Lange: $6000, $7000, $9000, $10000, $12000, $15000, $20000, $40000, $50000
• Russell Lee: $3000 each
• Helen Levitt: $6000 each
• Martin Parr: $5500 
• Christian Patterson: $2500
• Sheron Rupp: $1800 each
• Gene Peterson: $1200 each
• Stephen Shore: $9000
• Aaron Siskind: $6000, $15000
• Mike Smith: $2000 each
• Joel Sternfeld: $5000, $12500, $15000
• George Tice: $3000
• John Vachon: $3000
• Chris Verene: $15000
• Camilo Jose Vergara: $3000 each
• James Welling: $5000 each
• Henry Wessel: $7000

Rating: * (one star) GOOD (rating system described here)

Transit Hub:

• Features/Reviews: Wall Street Journal (here), Le Journal de la Photographie (here)

Everyday America: Photographs from the Berman Collection
Through March 23rd

Steven Kasher Gallery
521 West 23rd Street

New York, NY 10011

Auction Results: First Open, March 8, 2013 @Christie's New York

The photography in Christie's First Open Armory week sale performed solidly. The overall Buy-In rate for the photographs on offer was less than 20% and the Total Sale Proceeds for photography fell in the middle of the range.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 48
Pre Sale Low Total Estimate: $1011500
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: $1438500
Total Lots Sold: 40
Total Lots Bought In: 8
Buy In %:16.67%
Total Sale Proceeds: $1154375

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 15
Low Sold: 14
Low Bought In: 1
Buy In %: 6.67%
Total Low Estimate: $103500
Total Low Sold: $151750

Mid Total Lots: 26
Mid Sold: 21
Mid Bought In: 5
Buy In %: 19.23%
Total Mid Estimate: $595000
Total Mid Sold: $473125

High Total Lots: 7
High Sold: 5
High Bought In: 2
Buy In %: 28.57%
Total High Estimate: $740000
Total High Sold: $529500

The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 90, Andreas Gursky, Atlanta, 1996, estimated at $250000-350000; it was also the top photography outcome of the sale at $314500.

97.50% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of four surprises (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 78, Laurie Simmons, Untitled (Woman's Head), 1976, estimated at $5000-7000, sold at $18750 (image at right, middle, via Christie's)
Lot 80, Sturtevant, Duchamp Man Ray Portrait, 1966, estimated at $4000-6000, sold at $18750
Lot 258, Vik Muniz, Scissors (The Sarcezo Drawings), 2002, estimated at $8000-12000, sold at $30000 (image at right, bottom, via Christie's)
Lot 264, Shirin Neshat, Soliloquy series (Veiled Women in Three Arches), 1999, estimated at $6000-8000, sold at $21250 (image at right, top, via Christie's)

Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Christie's
20 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10020

Auction Results: Contemporary Art and Design Evening and Under the Influence, March 7 and 8, 2013 @Phillips New York

The results for the photographs buried in Phillips' two Armory week sales were generally as expected: the Buy-In rate for photography was under 30% and the Total Sale Proceeds for photography cleared the aggregate low estimate.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 86
Pre Sale Low Total Estimate: $1412000
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: $2002000
Total Lots Sold: 62
Total Lots Bought In: 24
Buy In %: 27.91%
Total Sale Proceeds: $1491150

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 31
Low Sold: 20
Low Bought In: 11
Buy In %: 35.48%
Total Low Estimate: $232000
Total Low Sold: $184375

Mid Total Lots: 46
Mid Sold: 35
Mid Bought In: 11
Buy In %: 23.91%
Total Mid Estimate: $1040000
Total Mid Sold: $789775

High Total Lots: 9
High Sold: 7
High Bought In: 2
Buy In %: 22.22%
Total High Estimate: $730000
Total High Sold: $517000

The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 21, Richard Prince, Untitled (Massage), 1980-1981, estimated at $100000-150000; it sold for $146500.

87.10% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range. There were a total of 4 surprises in these sales (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 133, Slater Bradley, Factory Ikon, 2007, estimated at $6000-8000, sold at $16250
Lot 134, Slater Bradley, Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Perine 02), 2009, estimated at $6000-8000, sold at $18750 (image at right, bottom, via Phillips)
Lot 267, Larry Sultan, Sharon Wild (from The Valley series), 2001, estimated at $4000-6000, sold at $21250 (image at right, middle, via Phillips)
Lot 279, Vitaliy and Elena Vasilieva, Ice (triptych), 2011, estimated at $25000-30000, sold at $106900 (image at right, top, via Phillips)

Complete lot by lot results can be found here (Contemporary Art and Design) and here (Under the Influence).

Phillips
450 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Auction Results: Contemporary Art, March 7, 2013 @Sotheby's New York

The photographic material in Sotheby's recent Armory week Contemporary Art sale clearly didn't attract much attention. The results of the sale were pretty dismal, with a Buy-In rate for photography over 50% and Total Sale Proceeds for photography coming in way under the low estimate.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 32
Pre Sale Low Total Estimate: $499000
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: $704000
Total Lots Sold: 15
Total Lots Bought In: 17
Buy In %: 53.13%
Total Sale Proceeds: $271625

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 8
Low Sold: 4
Low Bought In: 4
Buy In %: 50.00%
Total Low Estimate: $59000
Total Low Sold: $26500

Mid Total Lots: 22
Mid Sold: 11
Mid Bought In: 11
Buy In %: 50.00%
Total Mid Estimate: $50500
Total Mid Sold: $245125

High Total Lots: 2
High Sold: 0
High Bought In: 2
Buy In %: 100.00%
Total High Estimate: $140000
Total High Sold: $0

The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 137, Mike Kelley and Bob Flanagan, More Love Than Can Ever Be Repaid, 1990, estimated at $60000-80000; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 207, Pieter Hugo, Jatto with Mainasara, Ogere-Remo, Nigeria, 2007, estimated at $25000-35000; it sold for $43750.

80.00% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were no surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate).

(Lot 203, Alex Prager, Cindy (from the Big Valley series), 2008, estimated at $5000-7000, sold for $10000. Image via Sotheby's.)

Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Sotheby's
1334 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021

Zanele Muholi, Faces and Phases @Richardson

JTF (just the facts): A total of 29 black and white photographs, framed in white and matted, and hung against white walls in the main gallery space. All of the works are gelatin silver prints, made in 2011 or 2012. The prints are each sized 30x20 and are available in editions of 8. This is the artist's first solo show in the United States. A monograph of the first part of this body of work was published by Prestel in 2010 (here) and is available from the gallery for $40. (Installation shots at right.)

Comments/Context: Zanele Muholi's black and white portraits of individuals from the black lesbian and transgender communities in South Africa and neighboring countries are bold and powerful. Hung tightly together in a parade of three quarter poses, her images celebrate a group of people who have seen hardships, been misunderstood or overlooked, and have endured outright persecution. Each photograph brims with simmering intensity and authentic connection, and together they leave a memorable impression.

While close cropped hair and androgynous clothing are common to many of these portraits, the faces reveal emotions and mindsets that cover a wide spectrum. Some sitters have a steely swagger, full of confidence, measuring the viewer in the event of a confrontation. Other subjects are more guarded and wary, with arms folded, waiting for the all too common judgment with reserve and trepidation. And still others radiate quiet curiosity and warmth, genuinely open and welcoming. Muholi has found the strength and beauty in every single sitter, engaging each one with directness and honesty.

Compositionally, Muholi has been careful with pattern and tonality, using contrasts of skin tone and background to create visual interest. Details like a razor blade necklace, a sweep of hair, or a bow tie help provide clues to personalities, while whitewashed cinder blocks and dress motifs add surrounding context. But in the end, it is the parade of unrelenting faces that gathers your gaze. Again and again, she presents the eyes of engaging individuals, respectfully allowing us to look right into their hopes and sorrows. It's photographic portraiture done with consistently exceptional grace and humility, a bravura performance of attention and observation.
 

Collector's POV: The prints in this show are priced at $4200 each. Muholi's work has not yet reached the secondary markets, so gallery retail remains the best/only option for those collectors interested in following up.

Rating: ** (two stars) VERY GOOD (rating system described here)

Transit Hub:

• Artist site (here)
• Feature/Reviews: New Yorker (here), Time LightBox (here), New Yorker PhotoBooth (here), NY Times Lens (here)

Zanele Muholi, Faces and Phases
Through April 6th

Yancey Richardson Gallery
535 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10011

The Checklist: 3/14/13

Current New York Photography Shows
New reviews added this week in red.
(Rating: Artist/Title: Venue: Closing Date: link to review)

Uptown

ONE STAR: After Photoshop: Met: May 27: review

Midtown

ONE STAR: Kenneth Josephson: Gitterman: March 16: review
ONE STAR: Valérie Belin: Edwynn Houk: March 30: review
ONE STAR: New Wave Finland: Scandinavia House: April 6: review
TWO STARS: The Shaping of New Visions: MoMA: April 21: review

Chelsea

TWO STARS: Elger Esser: Sonnabend: March 16: review
ONE STAR: Christopher Bucklow: Danziger: March 23: review
ONE STAR: Shannon Ebner: Wallspace: March 23: review
ONE STAR: Bill Armstrong: Clamp Art: April 6: review
THREE STARS: Enrique Metinides: Aperture: April 20: review

SoHo/Lower East Side/Downtown

No reviews at this time.

Elsewhere Nearby

No reviews at this time.

Forward Auction Calendar
New auctions added this week in red.
(Sale Date: Sale Title: Auction House: link to catalog)

March 23: Photographs: Heritage (Beverly Hills): catalog
April 2/3: Important Photographs from the Collection of Dr. Anthony Terrana: Phillips (New York): catalog
April 3: Photographs: Phillips (New York): catalog
April 4: The Delighted Eye: Modernist Masterworks from a Private Collection: Christie's (New York ): catalog
April 5: Photographs: Christie's (New York): catalog

Valérie Belin @Houk

JTF (just the facts): A total of 8 black and white photographs, framed in white and unmatted, and hung in the main gallery space. 6 of the works on view are large scale pigment prints, sized 82x62 or 73x55 and available in editions of 3. The other 2 works are smaller gelatin silver prints, sized 5x7 and available in editions of 5. All of the works were made in 2012. (Installation shots at right.)

Comments/Context: Edwynn Houk has recently taken on representation of Valérie Belin and this show offers a small sampler of her most recent work. In the past few years, Belin's photography has taken on a consistent look and feel, settling into the dark middle tones of grey and black and sandwiching negatives together into dense, layered compositions. Her new pictures resist easy recognition and force closer inspection to unpack their rich, tactile mysteries.

The most successful images in this show are Belin's conflicted images of brides. Her images mix classic studio portraits of brides with princess tiaras and elaborate floral bouquets with storefront shots of adult DVD stores and sex shops covered in shouting neon. The effect is something akin to Robert Heinecken's magazine interventions, but with the harshness softened into something more inscrutable. Belin uses the same approach in a series of nudes, with a curvy burlesque performer juxtaposed with an array of backstage TV studio gear (including a flashing APPLAUSE sign) or the furniture of a stylish 70's living room. The final pair of images on display dive down the rabbit hole of cluttered, overstuffed, hoarder-style interiors, with walls and shelves filled to the breaking point with collected stuff. Belin's dark palette gives these intimate reflections of personality an ominous tint.

If Belin's multiple negative works had been printed smaller, they might have had a Surreal feel, but at such large scale, they become almost abstract, the interlocking images breaking down into fragments and snippets of something identifiable. The layered images fight with each other, struggling for visual dominance, pushing the viewer's ultimate conclusion back and forth between opposing poles. In the end, it's an uneasy balance, the images settling into intermingled uncertainty.

Collector's POV: The works in this show are priced as follows. The large pigment prints are $32000 each and the smaller gelatin silver prints are $7500 each. Belin's work has only been intermittently available in the secondary markets in the past few years, with prices ranging from roughly $5000 to $15000.

Rating: * (one star) GOOD (rating system described here)

Transit Hub:

• Artist site (here)

Valérie Belin
Through March 30th

Edwynn Houk Gallery
745 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10151