NEW YORK, NY.- Phillips announced the sale of Photographs from the Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, to be offered in New York and London in Fall 2014. A leading international institution, the Art Institute of Chicago has been a pioneer in collecting artwork from every place and period, amassing one of the most reputable and comprehensive collections in the world. As part of that pioneering mission, the Art Institute has shown photographs as art since 1900, and for nearly 65 years the museum has pursued a vigorous acquisitions program of tremendous range and excellence. The photographs to be offered in the sale tell a particular story of Art Institute firsts and notable successes, from André Kertész to Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson to Edward Weston, and Irving Penn to Robert Heinecken.
“This is a landmark year for the Department of Photography at the Art Institute,” said Matthew S. Witkovsky, Richard and Ellen Sandor Chair and Curator of the department. “In 2014 we celebrate our fortieth anniversary as a separate curatorial department and the fifth anniversary of our dedicated galleries in the Art Institute’s Modern Wing. Those two anniversaries represent continuity and change—both essential to our progress. We have spent three and a half years to assess our holdings, with a view to refining and diversifying the collection as well as better understanding the treasures that we possess. Proceeds from the sale will support future acquisitions, and we are grateful to Phillips for working with such care and consideration on this sale.”
“Phillips is honored to partner with the Art Institute of Chicago on this important deaccession. The museum’s decades-long commitment to the field of Photographs will be reflected throughout the sale, presenting collectors with a rare opportunity to pursue works of superb caliber across a remarkable spectrum,” said Vanessa Kramer Hallett, Senior Director and Worldwide Head of Photographs at Phillips.
The collection will be sold in October in New York and in November in London with additional works to be offered in an online selling exhibition in December. Highlights from the sale will be exhibited throughout 2014 in New York, Chicago and London.
