SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- SF Camerawork, San Francisco's premier venue for new and cutting-edge photography, will hold its annual fundraiser auction on Saturday, September 21, 2019, benefitting the non-profit organization's celebrated exhibitions and public programs dedicated to innovation in the photographic arts.
This signature event — now in its 40th year and a favorite among serious photography collectors nationwide — will feature 70 exceptional, highly curated lots representing a range or work by both emerging and internationally distinguished artists, including Ansel Adams, Lewis Baltz, Ruth Bernhard, Carolyn Drake, Kota Ezawa, Lucas Foglia, Ken Gonzales-Day, Matt Lipps, Klea McKenna, and Minor White among many other stellar offerings.
Led by expert auctioneer Rick Wester (Rick Wester Fine Art, New York) the evening will offer both live and silent auctions, as well as cocktails, wine, and gourmet food. A special cocktail reception and curator walkthrough led by SFMOMA curator emerita and field expert Sandra S. Phillips will be held at SF Camerawork the week prior on Wednesday, September 11th.
Featured artworks will be on display at SF Camerawork prior to the auction from Saturday, September 7th through Friday, September 20th during gallery hours (Wed - Sat, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and by appointment.
Online bidding will be available beginning September 6th through international arts platform Artsy, which will provide viewing and bidding on all the lots in the sale.
A fully illustrated catalog of items will be available in print and online in early September, please contact the gallery to obtain a catalog as well as for more information about online and absentee bidding.
AUCTION 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
SF Camerawork is well known for vetting tomorrow's up-and-coming stars alongside iconic "history of photography" jewels.
One of the highlights of this year's auction is a stunning large-scale unique print by internationally acclaimed, San Francisco-based artist KLEA MCKENNA. McKenna describes her work as photographic "rubbings" or "reliefs," in which she applies fibers and embroidery to photo-sensitive paper to create photograms that capture minute details with vivid clarity. Through this innovative process, McKenna uses neither camera nor negative, pushing photography into the realm of mark making. McKenna's work has been shown and published internationally at venues including SFMOMA; Datz Museum of Art, Korea; the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA; and the Heckscher Museum, New York. Her photographs are held in the collection of the SFMOMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Santa Barbara Museum or Art, among others.
Estimated at $5,500, HENRY HOLMES SMITH's Blood Brothers, 1959 - 1977, is another of the stand outs in this year's auction. This rare dye transfer print by this highly influential mid-20th century artist and educator was donated by Gitterman gallery, New York. Holmes was instrumental in establishing the photography program for László Moholy-Nagy at the New Bauhaus in 1937 and went on to teach for 30 years at Indiana University where he founded the first MFA program in photography.
Artist KOTA EZAWA, currently featured in the Whitney Biennial, has donated one of his iconic lightbox works. Famous for his stylized digital animation and photo-derived drawings, Kota Ezawa breaks down pop culture images drawn from sources including cinema, television, and art history. Phoenix lights is based on a photograph of a supposed UFO sighting over Phoenix, Arizona His work has been widely exhibited including at SFMOMA; Smithsonian American Art Museum, and is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art; the Albright-Knox and the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive. Ezawa will have a solo exhibition at Haines Gallery, San Francisco, in late 2019.
CAROLYN DRAKE has donated a photograph from her new body of work, Knit Club (to be published by TBW Books in 2020). For this project, Drake collaborated with women to create photographs in the Faulkner-esque landscape of their rural Mississippi town. The photographs specifically do not include men and are also a meditation on the artists own ambivalence towards activities traditionally seen as women's work. Drake is a member of the esteemed Magnum Photos Agency 2019 and had a solo exhibition of her series Wild Pigeon at SFMOMA in 2018.
Also featured is HERB RITTS' iconic 1990s portrait of Karl Lagerfeld, which has a $4,000 estimate. Herb Ritts began his photographic career in the late 70s and quickly gained a reputation as a master of photography. In addition to producing memorable portraits and fashion imagery, he also created unforgettable advertising campaigns. Herb directed numerous influential and award winning music videos and commericals. His fine art photography has been the subject of museum and gallery exhibitions worldwide. The Herb Ritts Foundation promotes Ritts' passion for photography through offering assistance to institutions such as SF Camerawork that advance the art of photography.
