NEW YORK, NY.- Phillips de Pury & Company announced the highlights of the forthcoming New York Photographs sale on Friday, October 8, 2010. Securing its position as a leader in the Photographs market, the Photographs sale features a strong balance of the best in classic and contemporary photography.

Vanessa Kramer, Director of Photographs, New York “Our Fall Photographs sale is not only a testament to the resilience of the photography market, but Phillips de Pury & Company’s strong dedication to offering the best works by the leading photographers. The upcoming sale features numerous iconic images, and we are extremely excited to be offering more highly valued lots than in recent seasons.”

Highlights of the New York Photographs sale include: Robert Frank’s Trolley- New Orleans, 1955, estimated at $100,000-150,000, undoubtedly one of the pillars of classic American photography; Richard Avedon’s Brigitte Bardot, Hair by Alexandre, Paris Studio, 1959, among his most celebrated and rare portraits, estimated at $100,000-150,000; and Irving Penn’s Pablo Picasso at la Californie, Cannes, 1957, estimated at $80,000-120,000, which beautifully embodies the majestic essence of the famed Spanish artist and the timeless elegance of the renowned American photographer. Other highlights include: Diane Arbus’s Triplets in Their Bedroom, N.J., 1963, estimated at $40,000-60,000; Edward Steichen’s Foxgloves, France,1926, estimated at $40,000-60,000; Dorothea Lange’s The General Strike, Policeman, San Francisco, 1934, estimated at $35,000-45,000; Thomas Struth’s Paradise 23, Sao Francisco de Xavier, Brasil, 2001, estimated at $60,000-80,000; and Christian Boltanski’s La Fête de Purim, 1991, estimated at $60,000-80,000.

Classic photography will be fantastically illustrated by a number of images complementing the aforementioned selections, including Robert Mapplethorpe’s Calla Lily, 1986, estimated at $60,000-80,000; two of Ansel Adams’s most renowned portfolios: Portfolio One: Twelve Photographic Prints, 1948, estimated at $60,000-80,000, as well as Portfolio Three: Yosemite Valley, 1960, estimated at $40,000-60,000; Irving Penn’s Chef, New York, 1951, estimated at $30,000-40,000; and Garry Winogrand’s early print of World's Fair, New York City, 1964, estimated at $20,000-30,000.

Buttressing the strength of the classic selections will be two single-artist private
collections. The first, a body of 26 works by Ruth Bernhard, exemplifies, among other things, the iconic photographer’s poetic renditions of the female form in works such as In the Box (Horizontal), 1962, estimated at $18,000-22,000, and Classic Torso with Hands, 1952, estimated at $8,000-12,000. The second private collection is comprised of 16 works by Harry Callahan, delicately portraying the legendary photographer’s effusive inspiration by his wife and muse, Eleanor, as shown in Eleanor, Detroit, 1942, and Eleanor, Chicago, 1954, each estimated at $15,000-20,000. The two private collections neatly reveal a continuous biographical narrative within each artist’s work, commanding additional understanding and appreciation.

Selections from the Property of the Larry N. Deutsch Collection, Chicago/Tuscon, will further enhance the classic portion of the sale. Highlights from the collection include André Kertész’s Distortion #6, Paris, 1932-1933, estimated at $30,000-40,000; Alfred Stieglitz’s Equivalent, 1926, estimated at $20,000-30,000; Irving Penn’s Duchess of Windsor, New York, May 27, 1948, estimated at $15,000-20,000; and Ilse Bing’s The Dancer, Willem van Loon, Paris, 1932, estimated at $12,000-18,000. Collectively, Mr. Deutsch’s collection delineates some of the greatest achievements in classic photography.

Fashion photography will be beautifully represented by Property from the Paul Tomlinson Collection, Dallas, with selections including: Irving Penn’s Gaultier’s Eye Earrings, New York, 1998, estimated at $20,000-30,000; Herb Ritts’s Versace Dress, Back View, El Mirage, 1990, estimated at $15,000-25,000; Horst P. Horst’s Mainbocher Corset, Paris, 1939, estimated at $10,000-15,000; and Albert Watson’s Christy Turlington, New York City, 1990, estimated at $6,000-8,000. The collection will be reinforced by additional works in the sale showcasing the effervescent magic of the genre, including: Richard Avedon’s Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent, 14 June, 1981, estimated at $40,000-60,000 and Marilyn Minter’s Swarv, 2005, estimated at $25,000-35,000.

Proudly offered for the first time in a Photographs sale at Phillips de Pury & Company are Barry Frydlender, with Smoking, Sinai, 2004, estimated at $30,000-40,000; Shinichi Maruyama, with Kusho #1, 2007, estimated at $15,000-25,000; Andrew Levitas, with Cappella Dei Morti, 2010, estimated at $10,000-15,000; and Yao Lu, with New Landscape Part 2-YL01 Early Spring on Lake Dong Ting, 2008, estimated at $10,000-15,000. This is in continuance with Phillips de Pury & Company’s tradition of introducing photographers with a very strong following on the primary market.

Contemporary photographs will be represented in a great array that includes some of the best photographers in the field, including: Lorna Simpson’s Cloud, 2005, estimated at $35,000-45,000; John Baldessari’s Life’s Balance (With Brushes), 1996, estimated at $30,000-50,000; Philip-Lorca DiCorcia’s Mario, 1978, estimated at $25,000-35,000; David LaChapelle’s Alicia Keys, Burning Piano, NY, 2003, estimated at $20,000-30,000; and Robert Polidori’s Cadre Vide, Château de Versailles, 1985, estimated at $15,000-25,000. Other contemporary photographers included in the sale are Peter Beard, Ahmet Ertug, Massimo Vitali, Vik Muniz, Frank Thiel, Edward Burtynsky, Erwin Olaf, Lynn Davis, Sally Mann, Andrew Moore, Daido Moriyama, Idris Khan, and Gavin Bond.