LONDON.- This year Sotheby’s offers an unrivalled selection of classic works in the Photographs sale on 23 May 2015 in London, with the auction timed to take place alongside Photo London, a major international photography event that will be held in the heart of the capital from 21-24 May 2015.

With a strong emphasis on fashion and glamour, the sale opens with a chapter devoted to one of the greatest fashion photographers of all time, Helmut Newton, and is supported by iconic works from Irving Penn, Horst P. Horst and Erwin Blumenfeld amongst others. The auction’s two top lots belong to the avant-garde master Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, the two photograms Untitled (fgm78), 192325 and Untitled (fgm8OA), 1923-25, with important vintage photographs from this period by Hans Bellmer, Paul Outerbridge and Edward Steichen also on offer. Two outstanding works by the revered and highly collectable artists Bern and Hilla Becher are for sale, as are key pieces from their Düsseldorf School pupils Andreas Gursky, Thomas Struth, Thomas Ruff, Candida Höfer and Elger Esser. A wonderfully varied selection of works by Peter Beard is available alongside covetable images by Nick Brandt, Sebastião Salgado and Henri-Cartier Bresson. Photographs by Hiroshi Sugimoto, Nobuyoshi Araki and Daido Moriyama feature prominently in the contemporary selection.

Simone Klein, Sotheby’s Head of Photographs, Europe, commented: “With such a diverse offering of major works from blue-chip artists, this exciting sale promises to deliver something for all buyers, from the seasoned collector to the budding connoisseur.”

FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY & HELMUT NEWTON
An all-embracing visual culture has pushed fashion photography into the spotlight over the last five years. Works by famous names such as Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn and Peter Lindbergh have become highly sought after, alongside modern-day photographers including Miles Aldridge. Arguably one of the world’s most influential photographers, Helmut Newton revolutionised fashion photography through his inimitable erotic and provocative poses. Newton’s compositions are classically and subtly constructed in black and white, with a playful and voyeuristic style. He surrounded himself with gorgeous, stylish women, and his arresting images of them demonstrate their strength and potency. While they are often depicted nude or physically restrained, they have an unparalleled dominance. These women are confident, stimulating and in control of their sexuality. Newton may have been behind the camera but these women are in charge. His iconic photographs such as the Big Nudes and Private Property series are some of the most sought after works on the market.

AFRICA
Renowned artist Peter Beard has been documenting and interpreting Africa’s epic landscapes and indigenous species for six decades. A trip to the continent in 1955 inspired his lifelong fascination with the region. Photography, collage and hand-painted illustrations merge with written material and smears of blood to dazzling effect. In 1995, Nick Brandt fell in love with the animals and the landscape of East Africa and today he is celebrated for his captivating images of the region’s disappearing natural world. Brandt patiently waits for the animals to “pose” in a practice akin to studio portraiture of human subjects. The results are majestic portraits filled with empathy for Africa’s endangered wildlife.

THE DÜSSELDORF SCHOOL OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Andreas Gursky, Thomas Struth, Candida Höfer and Thomas Ruff all studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under the celebrated couple Bernd and Hilla Becher – whose seminal practice, with its rigorously objective approach to photographing industrial architecture, inspired a generation of leading German photographers. Between 1976 and 1986, the alumni from the first official class of Photography swiftly acquired legendary status, a phenomenon that has since marked a turning point in the history of photography. Seriality, measured detachment and enveloping views of our contemporary world unite divergent works by the best known alumni of the School. Candida Höfer joined Bernd Becher’s photography class in 1978 and was one of the first to win recognition for her monumental colour photographs. She rose to prominence with the series of sweeping depictions of libraries, churches and municipal buildings – large format images offering poetic analyses of the depopulated interiors which frame contemporary public life.