Photographs at Christie’s, Dec. 19th
01 Sunday Jan 2012
Posted in American photography, Auctions, Collecting, Photography market
01 Sunday Jan 2012
Posted in American photography, Auctions, Collecting, Photography market
21 Friday Oct 2011
Tags
Carrie Mae Weems, Harlem, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Herman Leonard, jazz musicians, Jr., Paul Outerbridge, Sotheby's Photographs
At the Sotheby’s Photographs sale on October 5th, there were a handful of lots which featured photographs of black people, or were produced by black photographers. Among the 185 lots offerred were:
Lot 65: Henri Cartier Bresson
Easter Parade Harlem, 1947
Sold for 7,500 USD
Lot 72: Herman Leonard
Jazz Studies, 1948-1991
Sold for 28, 125 USD
Lot 113: Paul Outerbridge, Jr.
“Sleepy Negro” 1924
Sold for 31, 250 USD
Lot 168: Carrie Mae Weems
“Made for Him, Made for Her” 1993
Sold for 13,750 USD
11 Tuesday Oct 2011
The stunning archival pigment print, Animus #3, Omo Valley, Ethiopia, 2011, by Elizabeth Sunday, sold for $ 390 at the online auction benefiting the George Eastman House.
The benefit auction, both its live and online event, took place from the end of September until Monday, October 10th. 204 photographs from vintage photography to contemporary works were available for sale by famous and emerging photographers from across the globe.
Sunday’s signed print was valued at $ 3,000 and is #7 in an edition of 7.
10 Monday Oct 2011
Two black and white photographs by Philadelphia-based photographer, Gerald Cyrus, sold for $ 75.00 at Stair Galleries on September 10, 2011. Cyrus’ images were among 705 available lots, including 20th century paintings, prints, furniture, and estate property.
Lot #471 included the photographs New Orleans (Eating Ice Cream), and Untitled (Boy on Swing). Both images were framed.
27 Wednesday Apr 2011
Tags
African-American photography, Christie's Photographs, Lorna Simpson, photography auction, photography collectors, Polaroid, Roy De Carava
The March and April photography auctions have drawn to a close. Here’s a quick round-up of noteworthy sales.
Christie’s, First Open Post-War and Contemporary Art, New York, Rockefeller Plaza ( SALE 2421, March 10, 2011)
Lorna Simpson (b. 1960), Nervous Conditions (see right)
Color Polaroid prints with engraved Plexiglas
48 7/8 x 20 1/8 in. (124.1 x 51.1 cm.)
Executed in 1992. This work is number four from an edition of five.
Estimate: $6,000 – $8,000 Price Realized: $ 10,625
Christie’s, Crossing America: Photographs from the Consolidated Freightways Collection, Part I
New York, Rockefeller Plaza (Sale 2522, 7 April 2011)
Lot 235
P.H. POLK (1898-1984), The Boss, 1932
Gelatin silver print, 9¼ x 7½in. (23.5 x 19.3cm.)
Estimate $2,500 – $3,500 Price realized: $1,750. First time Christie’s sold a Polk image.
(Lot 237) He’s too tired to change, c 1954
Estimate $4,000 – $6,000 Price realized:$2,750
All gelatin silver prints.
SALE TOTAL: 1,838,437 (USD) (Prices include buyer’s premium)
24 Thursday Feb 2011
Photographs of Lena Horne and the “Atlantic City” 1930 and “By the Pool” c. 1924 photographs by James Van der Zee sold at Horne’s estate sale conducted at Doyle New York, February 23, 2011. The Richard Avedon contact sheets of Horne sold for $ 8,750; the Chuck Stewart for $ 750; the Carl Van Vechten portrait of Horne sold for $ 3,438; and the Van der Zee for $ 9,375 and $ 3,438.
The Avedon, Stewart, Van Vechten, and Van der Zee photographs are all silver gelatin prints. A color photograph of Horne by Wendy Hilty, Lena Horne, ca. 1958, sold for $ 1,088, and a set of three black & white and color photographs by Carol Friedman sold for $500. Two groups of publicity photographs sold for $ 3,750 and $ 625 respectively.
Low estimates for all the photographs began at $50, and high estimates ended at $300.
Each sales price includes the 25% buyer’s premium.
05 Saturday Feb 2011
Happy Chinese New Year, and a shout out to all our Afro-Chinese brethren and sistren laboring in the field of photography. There are photography auctions, events, and fairs to take note of in the coming weeks. Here’s a quick round-up so you can prepare yourself for reviewing, discussing, and purchasing:
February – March 2011
Houston Center for Photography is holding a benefit auction, February 23, ;
The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) show is March 17–20, in New York City;
U.S. Photo Show is March 19, in New York City and other locations during the year;
Swann Auction Galleries Photography Auction is March 24, New York City; and
Palm Springs Photo Festival is March 27–April 1, in Palm Springs, California, .
March – April 2011
The below listing references New York City locations.
Sotheby’s Photographs Auction, April 6;
In Motion Photography Auction and Benefit, April 7;
Christie’s Photographs Auction, April 7–8;
Phillips de Pury Photographs Auction, April 9; and
Doyle Photographs Auction, April 20
Happy Collecting!
10 Friday Dec 2010
Posted in American photography, Collecting, Photography market
A tintype photograph of Civil War Private Marcus Harvey, 28th Indiana United States Colored Troops sold for $2,350.00 at Cowan’s Auctions’ American History, Including the Civil War sale on Friday, December 10.
The lot contained four items including full-plate tintypes of Harvey in plain clothes and in uniform.
The items were estimated at $ 2,500 – 3,500.
27 Wednesday Oct 2010
Tags
Christie's Photographs, Irving Penn, Miles Davis, Robert Mapplethorpe, slave, slave woman, Sotheby's Photographs
At the Sotheby’s Photographs sale, held October 6, works by Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) SELECTED STUDIES sold for 8,750 USD, just below its low estimate: 10,000—15,000 USD. The sale, held in New York, yielded 4,970,754 USD including buyer’s premium.

27 Wednesday Oct 2010
Posted in American photography, Auctions, Collecting
On November 6th the wonderful Photo Review will hold its annual photography auction at University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Among the photographs available for sale are a portrait of photographer, Roy DeCarava (1919-2009), by Abe Aronow, and “Emmanuel” by Jonathan Torgovnik. Auction items are available for immediate purchase online and a fully illustrated catalog is available for $ 12.00.