BERLIN.- Bassenge Photography Auctions is holding its final sale for the year on Dec. 1, 2010 in Berlin at 3 pm local time. The auction will offer nearly 500 photography and photography book lots in one of its largest sales ever.

Bassenge's auction will cover 19th century work to contemporary photographs.

The 19th-century portion of the sale offers unique and beautiful prints from the pioneering days of the medium such as early salt prints of Berlin , Italy , Egypt , animals, and many other subjects. The image of a pipe-smoking, scantily clad woman as a hand-colored stereo daguerreotype (circa 1850) is a particularly intriguing image (est. 4000 euro). A very rare and excellent album of the German-Danish War (1864) by C.F. Brandt (est. 4000 euro) and the view of the fountain of Achmed III (1854) by Robertson & Beato (est. 2000 euro) are additional highlights.

The 19th-century section closes with a group of 15 very finely hand-colored portraits of the participants of the Vaticanum I (1869/70)(est. 2500 euro). Prints by Leopold Ahrendts, Enrico Béguin, Joseph Auguste Belloc, Samuel Bourne, Mathew Brady, Adolphe Braun, Thomas J. Dixon, Maxime Du Camp, Wilhelm von Gloden, Andreas Groll, Wilhelm Hammerschmidt, Hermann Krone, Robert MacPherson, Charles Marville, Felix Jacques Antoine Moulin, Nadar Jeune, Carlo Naya, Pascal Sebah, Vittorio Sella, Auguste Salzmann, Kuichi Uchida and several travel albums are also being offered.

The 20th-century to contemporary selections include such classics as André Kertész's "Chez Mondrian" (est. 3000 euro), an image from Germaine Krull's "Métal" portfolio (est. 3000 euro) and a dynamic view of a steamer by György Kepes (est. 3000 euro). A beautiful vintage print of Albert Renger-Patzsch's "Potter's Hands" (6000 euro) and a wonderful 1935 vintage by Berenice Abbott "The Oldest Houses in New York " (4000 euro) are fine examples of classic modernism. An unusual group containing a dozen images by August Sander of people and their dogs (10,000 euro) is a wonderful compilation of Sander's work.

Photographs from a large private collection of photos from the 'New Vision' movement, as well as advertising photography from the German Fotoform movement are also being offered at moderate prices.

This auction is an exceptional occasion to acquire important vintage photographs by artists such as L. Albin-Guillot, Max Baur, J. Breitenbach, B. & H Becher, L. Clergue, R. Doisneau, H. Erfurth, A. Feininger, H. Finsler, Arno Fisher, Paul Freiburger, H.-H. Halke, Bert Hardy, Heinrich Heidersberger, Florence Henri, George Hurrell, Graciela Iturbide, P. Keetmann, G. Kepes, Willy Kessels, E. Kesting, Lehnert & Landrock, H. Lerski, H. List, W. Mantz, L. Moholy, G. Petrusov, Toni Schneiders, A. Stankowski, O. Steinert, and many others.

Attractive contemporary works include photographs by Katharina Bosse, Chuck Close, Abe Franjndlich, Claus Goedicke, Nan Goldin, Chas Ray Krider and Annie Leibovitz. Peter Beard's unique mixed media work "One Year Old Ape, Rwanda " 1984/produced later (est. 12,000 euro) is a fine example of Beard's distinctly unique work.

BASSENGE PHOTOGRAPHY 499-LOT
AUCTION TO BE HELD ON DEC. 1ST