Flash of New Talent: Photography Auctions Embrace Some New Stars

 


The New York Observer
By Julia Halperin

Auctions are nothing if not ruthless. Last week, Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips held multimillion-dollar spring photography sales of a combined 644 images. The results offered clues, as the art market continues to thaw from the 2008 recession, as to which contemporary photographer's stocks have risen, whose have fallen and whose are holding steady post-crash. In a surprising market move, prices for works by a handful of auction virgins took off; demand for photographs by the rising stars of perhaps 5 or 10 years ago, meanwhile, like Iranian artist Shirin

 

Neshat and Spencer Tunick, famous for staging photos of crowds of nudes, headed in the other direction.

"It's not that the younger clients are purchasing the new photographers—we have stable collectors going after fresh new talent," said Vanessa Kramer, worldwide director of photographs at Phillips. "The price point is more accessible—you can buy a really important photograph for $3,000."

In a shift in taste, the photographers who sold well often seemed to feature either striking, ethereal imagery or wildlife themes. Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf specializes in sleek, lonely interior scenes (think Edward Hopper meets Apple). He sold three of five works for sale—impressive for a basically unknown name. His Grief, Troy, an image of a man leaning against a window in despair, brought in $11,500, well above the high estimate of $7,000. And the price of a single work offered by artist Dash Snow, who died tragically in 2009 of a heroin overdose, also soared.

All told, the three auctioneers sold about four out of every five works offered and raised more than $16 million. (The biggest prices were made by classic photographers; Christie's got $80,500 for a 1950 Irving Penn, for example.) The totals were at least half a million dollars higher than last year at every house, though Philips de Pury, which specializes in more contemporary photography, showed the most improvement.

Wildlife and fashion photographer Peter Beard was a breakout star. Born in 1938, he's far from a newbie, but "he's getting stronger and stronger. This is just the beginning for him," said Phillips' chairman, Simon de Pury. Mr. Beard's works brought in a total of almost $950,000 to the three houses last week.

But British photographer Adam Fuss, who had work added to the collections of the Israel Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art a few years ago, didn't make a splash. One Fuss piece, Woman Weeping From My Ghost, returned to Phillips for the second time since 2009—but now with an estimate $2,000 lower. (It went for $11,250, just above the low estimate.) The New York-based artist and former waiter at the Metropolitan Museum of Art specializes in carefully constructed photograms. Several of his works sold at the low end of their estimates, and two were passed over entirely "We don't have to offer work again—we'll only do it if we think it's important," said Ms. Kramer. German photographer Loretta Lux also didn't sell strongly. The artist, who specializes in dreamlike, creepy images of children, was regularly selling at auction in excess of $30,000 five years ago.

Photographs by Ms. Neshat, known for her provocative images of Muslim women and a superstar within the art world, performed unevenly. Perhaps it was too much of a good thing. Sotheby's sold one Neshat a few thousand dollars over estimate—Rebellious Silence (1994) sold for $18,750—but Phillips, who had several, had mixed results. "One thing that you need to be careful [of] with recent work is having too much of it on the market," said Christopher Mahoney of Sotheby's. "It undermines people's assurance of the specialness of the material."

British filmmaker-turned-wildlife photographer Nick Brandt, relatively new to auctions, saw both of his works up for sale bring well over their high estimates. Mr. Brandt filmed Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" music video in Kenya, and now works in East Africa. His Elephant with Exploding Dust, a majestic black-and-while image, sold for $59,375, well above the presale estimate of $35,000.



editorial@observer.com

Spring Auctions Looking Bright

Via Photograph Magazine
Posted April 12, 2011 by Jean Dykstra


The weather still felt a bit wintry, but the spring photography auctions suggested that a new season might be upon us. The sales had lower buy-in rates than we’ve been seeing (under 20 percent for most) and totals surpassing the firms' estimates. Sotheby’s kicked off the season on April 6 with a successful general-owners sale totaling $5,632,187, and a buy-in rate of 18.8 percent. Jaromir Funke’s abstract Composition, 1929, set a record for the artist at auction, selling for $350,500, far above the $70,000 high estimate. Mathew Brady’s portrait of politician John C. Calhoun, from 1849, sold for $338,500, also above the high estimate of $50,000. Two Man Ray images sold in the top ten: Untitled (Photomontage with Nude and Studio Lamp), 1933, was the top lot, bringing a whopping $410,500, and Solarized Male Torso, 1936, sold for $122,500.

On a side note, Sotheby's announced in February that it has made Paris its European center for photographs and decorative arts. Sotheby's won't hold photo sales in London, but the firm will hold bi-annual sales in Paris in May and in November, to coincide with Paris Photo and capitalize on the active market for photography in Paris. The department is headed by Simone Klein, who joined the firm in 2007.

Christie’s had three photography sales in April: Part I of the Consolidated Freightways collection, which focuses on American photography, was sold on April 7; 130 lots were offered, and the buy-in rate was 15 percent. The top lot was Robert Mapplethorpe’s Flag, 1987, which brought $158,500. That same day, a private collection went on the block, in a sale dubbed "The Feminine Ideal;" it brought a total of $942,125, with 18 percent of the 79 lots sold. Given that the sale focused on female beauty, it was no surprise that the top three lots were by Irving Penn, or that two of them should feature Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn. Balenciaga Mantle Coat, Paris, 1950, sold for $80,500, and Woman with Umbrella (Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn), New York, 1950, brought $60,000. Penn’s photographs, reliable favorites in the marketplace, were also top sellers in the general-owners photographs sale on April 8, with Bee on Lips, New York, September 22, 1995, selling for $182,500. Twentieth-century masters such as Avedon, Eggleston, Penn, and Frank were well represented in the top lots, with Avedon’s Marilyn Monroe, New York, May 6, 1957, bringing $482,500, and Eggleston’s iconic Memphis (Tricycle), c. 1969-1970, selling for $266,500

Robert Mapplethorpe, Flag. Courtesy Christie's New York

On April 9, Phillips de Pury and Company held its first photography sale in its new digs at 450 Park Avenue. The sale offered 260 lots, and totaled $5,802,250, with a slim 9.6 percent buy-in rate. Phillips’s chief auctioneer, Simon de Pury, held a Photographs Aficionado Class before the auction, and he conducted the sale as well. The top ten list included such contemporary works as Cindy Sherman’s Oriental-themed Untitled #278, which sold for $242,500. Dutch photographer Desiree Dolron’s Xteriors VI, referencing the history of Flemish portraiture, brought $194,500, well above its high estimate of $60,000. Peter Beard’s Tsavo North on the Athi Tiva, circa 150 lbs, - 160 lbs, side Bull Elephant, February, sold for $120,100. And Florian Maier-Aichen’s contemporary take on the Sublime, Untitled, 2005, brought $104,500.

Desiree Dolron, Xteriors VI. Courtesy Phillips de Pury and Company

Two weeks earlier, photobooks, photographic albums, and historical and 20th-century photographs sold well Swann Galleries on March 24. The total was $1,037,574, with a 20 percent buy-in rate. Adam Clark Vroman’s album Arizona and New Mexico, Volume II, with more than 165 platinum prints of Native Americans, from 1897, sold for $62,400, a record for the photographer at auction and Alfred Eisenstaedt’s Children at Puppet Theatre, Paris, 1963, printed 1991, brought $48,000, the top price for an individual photograph at the sale.

WSJ: A Star-Filled Spring of Photo Auctions

The Wall Street Journal

Auctions at three major New York houses next week are headlining some of photography's stellar names—as well as a collection that once decorated the walls of a giant trucking company.


The wealth of offerings follows the recent rebound of other parts of the art market from the 2008 recession, with potential sellers now sensing that they can get top dollar, says Sarah Hasted, co-owner of photography specialist Hasted Kraeutler Gallery.

The auctions, at Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips de Pury & Co., feature landmark works from Robert Frank, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Man Ray, Ansel Adams and Robert Mapplethorpe. These auctions generally occur every spring and fall.

On the front and back of its 173-work catalog for its April 6 auction, Sotheby's has put two Man Ray photos from the 1930s noted for their abstract, contemporary feel. "Photomontage with Nude and Studio Light," using two negatives sandwiched together, is a classical study of a female torso combined with a distorted image of Man Ray's studio. One can see his camera, a naked light bulb dangling from the ceiling, and even the slippered feet of the artist, an American who spent most of his career in Paris. Sotheby's expects the photo to sell for at least $100,000.

Man Ray's "Solarized Male Torso" uses a method known as solarization, introducing light as part of the developing process, and is projected to bring at least $70,000.

Overall, Sotheby's expects to take in between $2.8 million and $4.3 million. These photos are open for public viewing starting Saturday.

At Christie's, a highlight is the 130-image Consolidated Freightways collection, put together in the 1980s by the trucking company now known as Con-way Inc.


The theme is America's love affair with the highway, photos that could have been taken from the cab of a truck, and it includes such classics as Ansel Adams's 1953 "Coastal Road," showing a lonely stretch of highway with hills in the distance, and Robert Frank's "U.S. 285, New Mexico," a 1956 photo focusing on the center strip of a highway at what appears to be dusk.

"This was the corporate collection, hanging on the walls of the company's offices," says Laura Paterson, a Christie's photography specialist. Christie's is selling the collection as individual photos and expects it to bring at least $975,000.

The Phillips sale includes some classic photos, such as the 1987 "Flag" by controversial artist Robert Mapplethorpe, known for his frank nudes, flower still lifes and celebrity portraits.

Another Phillips photo is "A Jewish Giant at Home With His Parents in the Bronx," a 1970 photo by Diane Arbus, who specialized in the abnormal. This one shows a mother and father looking up at their giant son, whose head almost reaches the ceiling of the room.




What is expected to be one of the highest-priced photos of the week, selling for at least $200,000, is Cindy Sherman's 1993 "Untitled #278," showing a dissolute-looking woman sitting in a leopard-skin chair, interpreted as a critique of the fashion industry. Ms. Sherman, as usual, posed for it herself.

Cindy Sherman's 1993 'Untitled #278' is expected to sell for at least $200,000.

Photos are proving increasingly attractive to collectors, Christie's Ms. Paterson says. "As the price of paintings have become incredibly expensive," she added, "a lot of people have moved into photography as something that's affordable and still decorative."


Click here for the article with video link:  John Arena, senior vice president at U.S. Trust, explains how ultra-high-net-worth investors can leverage their existing art collection to raise cash. Dow Jones Wealth Adviser's Veronica Dagher reports.

Increased Attendance, Strong Sales Reported at the AIPAD Photography Show New York

Via artdaily.org

NEW YORK, N.Y.- Attendance was up at The AIPAD Photography Show New York at the Park Avenue Armory, which closed on Sunday, March 20, with strong sales and rave reviews. The Show, presented by The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD), was held on four sunny days from Thursday, March 17, through Sunday, March 20, 2011. More than 10,000 visitors (up from 8,300 last year) viewed work -including contemporary, modern and 19th century photographs, as well as photo-based art, video and new media -- from 79 of the world’s leading fine art photography galleries.


The 31st edition of The AIPAD Photography Show New York opened with a well- attended Gala Preview on Wednesday, March 16 to benefit the John Szarkowski Fund, an endowment for photography acquisitions at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The Gala and the Show drew a glittering crowd that included celebrities, major art collectors and leaders from the worlds of art, business, entertainment, fashion, and the media.

Among the notable attendees of the show were Jessica Lange, Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, Matt Dillon, Fisher Stevens, Anderson Cooper, Joel Coen, Vicente Wolf, Alec Soth, George Tice, Meghan Boody, Shirin Neshat, Larry Fink, Elliot Erwitt, Brian Wallis, Simon Baker, Roxana Marcoci, Britt Salvesen, Matthew S. Witkovsky, Christiane Fischer, Marie Brenner, Anthony Haden-Guest, Bruce Davidson, Beth DeWoody, Anthony d'Offay, Dan Greenberg, Richard Prince, Gerhard Steidl, Edward Robinson, Mark Seliger, Bill Cunningham, Vicki Goldberg, Sondra Gilman and Celso Gonzales-Falla,Robert and Richard Menschel, and Larry Gagosian.

In addition to The Museum of Modern Art, New York, many other major institutions were represented among those attending including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; International Center for Photography, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; The Art Institute of Chicago; George Eastman House, Rochester, NY; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, Providence; Milwaukee Art Museum; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; Saint Louis Art Museum; Minneapolis Institute of Art; Corcoran Gallery of Art and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; National Gallery of Canada, Ontario; and Tate, London.

Show Highlights

“The attendance was off the charts and the sales were great,” raved Robert Mann, Robert Mann Gallery, New York. “I think it’s the best show I ever had,” noted Keith de Lellis, Keith de Lellis Gallery, New York, echoing a number of other dealers. “The quality of the fair is up because people are taking it more seriously,” explained Michael Hoppen, Michael Hoppen Gallery, London.

Bryce Wolkowitz, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, New York, noted that AIPAD was “over the top. We did even better than we did at the pier show the week before last. We met new European and international collectors, and sold 12 works including a new media work by Jim Campbell for $75,000, and “lighting books” by Airan Kang for $5,000.” HackelBury Fine Art Limited, London, sold multiple works by Doug and Mike Starn in the $20,000 to $80,000 range.

Robert Klein, Robert Klein Gallery, Boston, said, “It was the best ever. There was a good balanced cross section of curators, old collectors and new buyers.” He sold silver prints by Irving Penn for $95,000 and Francesca Woodman for $50,000. “We did better than ever,” noted Roland Baron, Gallery 19/21, Guilford, CT. “Collectors were much more open to buying. Either the crisis is over are people are saying the heck with the crisis. We sold works by Mario Giacomello, of which we’re known to have a large stock.” Monroe Gallery of Photography, Santa Fe, sold a number of silver prints by Bill Eppridge and others top photographers depicting civil rights issues. The gallery also found success with photographs by Stephen Wilkes for $16,500 to $18,500.

“It was an incredible show,” said Bruce Silverstein, Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York. “We are thrilled. We sold work by Frederick Sommer, Man Ray, Henry Moore, and Diane Arbus.” Weinstein Gallery, Minneapolis, reported that it was an excellent show and that their one-person exhibition of work by Alec Soth did very well. Richard Moore, Richard Moore Photographs, Oakland, CA, said it was a great show and sold more than 14 works ranging from $1,800 to $7,500, including a Walker Evans to an institution.

Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne, Germany, reported interest from museums and sold more than 10 works by Japanese artists including two prints by Lieko Shiga, of which 100 percent of the profits will be donated to a Japanese charity to aid victims of the earthquake and tsunami.

Deborah Bell, Deborah Bell Photographs, New York, felt AIPAD presented the best- looking show in memory and sold work by Andy Warhol, Marcel Broodthaers, and G. P. Fieret, ranging from $6,000 to $15,000. “There were serious collectors who have been active since the 1970s, as well as museum curators, consultants and new clients in their 30s and 40s.”

“We’re pleased with the buying atmosphere in New York,” noted Missy Finger from PDNB Gallery, Dallas. “It seems the city is out of the recession.” The gallery sold work by Esteban Pastorino Diaz, Peter Brown and John Albok. Verve Gallery of Photography, Santa Fe, noted that collectors were “knowledgeable and well rounded,” and sold more than 35 photographs. Winter Works on Paper, Brooklyn, sold nearly 70 works ranging from $100 to $2,500, including work to five museums.

“Exhibitors had high expectations for the AIPAD Show this year, which were all met,” noted Stephen Bulger, Stephen Bulger, President, AIPAD, and President, Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto. “It was one of the largest and most enthusiastic gatherings of serious photography collectors in recent memory. Attendance was particularly strong with first time buyers, as well as established collectors. People are already buzzing with anticipation for 2012.”

THOUGHTS ON THE RECORD FALL ART AUCTIONS

We reported on the numerous record-setting and exuberant sales in this Fall's art auctions on our Twitter feed, which scrolls on the right side of this page. Now that the dust has settled, the "experts" are trying to make sense of the extraordinary results.

The just-completed Contemporary sales totaled over $1 BILLION dollars in sales (with Andy Warhol accounting for over $200 million alone); the Impressionist/Modern sales about another half - BILLION; and almost as an afterthought a Qianlong-dynasty vase sold for $85.9 MILLION dollars.


The Fall photo auctions in New York brought in $16 million.



We are often asked, "what does the broader art market have to do with the photography market?". In our judgement, a lot. It wasn't long ago that the argument existed whether photography was "art" or not. At least we are beyond that phase!


Two observations:

Richard Prince’s “Marlboro Man" (Untitled, Cowboy), below, set a record for a photograph when it sold for $3,401,000 at Sotheby’s in New York in 2007. Prince’s “Cowboy” series consisted of old Marlboro cigarette print ads that he re-photographed. And the Marlboro man was based on a LIFE magazine cover of a photograph by Leonard McCombe of a real cowboy.

The $63.36 million realized on last Monday at Phillips, de Pury by Andy Warhol's “Men in Her Life?” was done in silk-screen technique: the dark black and white picture endlessly repeats a photographic image published in LIFE magazine on April 13, 1962.

The prices for the "masters" of photography are a fraction of the prices for the masters of art. 

Photography's impact, relevance, influence, and relationship to the broader fine art field is still in its infancy.

The Wall Street Journal: The New Gold Standard: Will Pop's Current Dominance of the Art World Last?

Related: The Financial Times: This Bonhams sale shows that a six- or seven-figure budget is not necessary to secure a first-class image by a known name.

Related: LOEWS MAGAZINE: COLLECTING PHOTOGRAPHY