NEW YORK, NY.- Ansel Adams' landmark Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, California, 1944, acquired directly from the artist and held privately for 40 years, and his Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941, could sell for $30,000+ each in Heritage Auctions' April 5 Photographs Signature Auction held in New York. The auction is dominated by fresh-to-market images, ranging from a California collection devoted to images of Marilyn Monroe and Reflections of Childhood, a fine private New York collection examining children's distinct and poignant place in the world.

"This stands as the most strikingly dynamic photograph auction we've ever held," said Rachel Peart, Director for Photographs at Heritage. "The opportunity for collectors to finally secure rare works from as early as 1874 to the present day spans several private collections that have not been on the market in decades."

The auction includes two important works by Irving Penn: Still Life with Watermelon, New York, 1947, which could sell for $25,000+, and Picasso, Cannes, France, 1957, estimated at $50,000+.

Among the variety of photographs is a large and diverse selection of images relating to Marilyn Monroe, including the iconic Marilyn Monroe on Red Velvet, Pose #1, 1949, a circa 1990 dye-destruction initialed by Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner, which is estimated to sell for $5,000+; Marilyn in Dior, Vogue, 1962, by Bert Stern, estimated at $10,000+; and Robert Silver's evocative Marilyn Quad, 2008, a photomosaic on aluminum, estimated to sell for $20,000+.

The Cohen Collection, another rare and important private collection, is a thoughtful assemblage of the world's finest photographers, including numerous works by Adams, such as Moonrise and Aspens, Northern New Mexico, from Portfolio VII, 1958, which could sell for $20,000, and Brett Weston, including his Twenty Photographs Portfolio, 1970-1977, which could sell for $30,000+. The Cohen Collection also offers Two Forms, 1963 by Ruth Bernhard, an iconic image of the female form.

Providing a glimpse into humanity's past and its future, Reflections of Childhood, a private New York collection featuring famous artists' interpretation of youth, including Diane Arbus' Boy Reading a Magazine, N.Y.C., 1956, estimated at $6,000+ and Hendrik Kerstens' Naturel, November, 1999, estimated at $15,000+. The artist's poignant images of childhood is exemplified in Pieter Hugo's Abdulai Yahaya, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana, 2010, and Untitled, 2004, by Angela Strassheim, both of which could sell for $10,000+ each.