NEW YORK, NY.- Emily Bierman, Head of Sotheby’s Photographs Department in New York, commented: “We are delighted with the results of today’s sales – the first Photographs auction of the new year. There was robust demand across the sales with our top lots spanning from early photography – setting a new record for William Henry Fox Talbot – to experimental 1920s and 1930s works – including Man Ray’s Minotaur for $175,000 – to classic mid-century images such as Alfred Stieglitz’s exceptional Equivalent 227, which more than tripled its presale estimate at $150,000. It was a privilege to present ‘A Beautiful Life: Photographs from the Collection of Leland Hirsch’ and share the beauty pioneer’s vision with the world. The overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from collectors reflects the quality and importance of the collection he assembled. We once again saw many new bidders in the sale as well as significant interest from Asia, in addition to our traditional collecting centers of Western Europe and the United States, demonstrating the increasingly global nature of the field.”

A Beautiful Life: Photographs from the Collection of Leland Hirsch
Auction Total $2 Million
Leland Hirsch, CEO of Celeb Luxury commented: “I am absolutely thrilled with the results we saw today from the sale of my very personal collection of photographs. I am particularly happy that we set a new record for Herb Ritts’ powerful image of the ‘Big Five’ supermodels and the strong price we achieved for Avedon’s Dovima, among the highest of the season. Sotheby's thoughtful presentation and focused marketing achieved results far beyond expectations. As always, working with Emily and whole Sotheby’s team proved to be a delightful and fulfilling experience.”

Assembled with passion over the course of nearly two decades by the ‘godfather of haircolor,’ this superb collection of photographs offered some of the most recognizable images of the 20th and 21st centuries, featuring works by iconic fashion photographers Richard Avedon, Irving Penn and Peter Beard as well as convention-defying works by Diane Arbus and Man Ray. The sale was led by Richard Avedon’s Dovima with Elephants, Evening Dress by Dior, Cirque d’Hiver, Paris, August 1955 which achieved $375,000 (estimate $300/500,000). Created in 1955 and published by Harper’s Bazaar for their September issue, the present work is a monument in the history of fashion photography, fully illustrating the artist’s profound gifts as a photographer.

Photographs
Auction Total $3.1 Million
Today’s various-owner auction was led by William Henry Fox Talbot’s The Pencil Of Nature, which sold for $275,000 (estimate $150/200,000). Issued in 6 parts between 1844 and 1846 and comprised of 24 photographs, the present work was the first photographically illustrated text to be commercially sold and the culmination of more than a decade of experimentation by the famed British scientist, inventor and photography pioneer. The sale also saw record prices achieved for contemporary artists, including David Gamble, JoAnn Verburg and David Yarrow.