NEW YORK, NY.- Among the offerings, The Reflections of Childhood Collection, Part II — a group of important and rare photographs capturing the contradictions, mysteries, and even the pain of growing up — sells for more than $526,000 in
Heritage Auctions' $1M+ Photographs Auction April 17 in New York.
"We are extremely pleased to offer our clients a selection of photographs found practically nowhere else," said Nigel Russell, Director of Photography at Heritage Auctions. "We saw strong demand for vintage prints by William Klein, and Hellen Levitt which very rarely appear on the market as well as iconic images by Alfred Eisenstaedt and Ansel Adams – many of which drastically surpassed expectations."
Top lots from the enigmatic Reflections of Childhood Collection range from Alfred Eisenstaedt's classic Children at a Puppet Theatre, Paris, 1962, which sold for $25,000; to Levitt's Boys With Branches, New York, circa 1939, which finished at $22,500, while her Children with a Broken Mirror, NYC, circa 1940, sold for $18,750. A bidding war broke out over a rare, vintage print by William Klein titled Stickball Player + Johnny, New York, 1954, that ended with a final bid of $20,625 against a $4,000 estimate.
Contemporary highlights include Nan Goldin's poignant Nan and Brian in bed, NYC, 1983, which sold for $18,750 and Steve McCurry's instantly-recognizable National Geographic magazine cover shot Afghan Girl, Pakistan, 1985, which sold for $16,250, double its pre-auction estimate.
Additional highlights include, but are not limited to:
Zehra (three boys showing off muscles), 1967 by Josef Koudelka (Czech, b. 1938): Realized: $16,250.
A never before sold Contact Sheet of David Bowie — shot by Helmut Newton in 1983 at the very peak of Bowie's widespread success: Realized: $15,000.
El Capitan, Sunrise, Winter, Yosemite, pl. 10 (from Portfolio VII), 1968,: Realized: $13,750.
Xie Kitchen, Badcock Yard Studio, 1869, shot by Lewis Carroll, the imaginative English author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Realized: $12,500.
