Photographs Sale – Christie’s, April 5

At the April 5th Christie’s sale of Photographs, nineteen out of 348 featured images of black people or of Latin America.  Several of the images were taken by such noted photographers of the 20th century as Manual Alvarez Bravo, Robert Frank, Irving Penn, and W. Eugene Smith, among others.  Lot 264 by Robert Frank sold for $ 434,500, Trolley – New Orleans, 1955 , a photograph featured in Frank’s famous book, The Americans, depicting a segregated trolley car.  Equally noteworthy is Frank’s Charleston, South Carolina 1955 photograph selling for over three times its high estimate ($182,500).  The total sale yielded $ 6,880,450 with buyer’s premium.

Here are the lots you should review.

#60: Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Diego Rivera painting the River Lerma Well, 1951.  Sold for $ 9,375; Estimate $ 3,000-5,000.

#98: W. Eugene Smith, Nurse MidWife, 1952. Sold for $6,875;  Estimate $7,000 – $9,000.

#147: Irving Penn, Pila Pila Sisters, Dahomey, 1967.  Sold for $13,750;  Estimate $ 10,000 – 15,000.

#206: Irving Penn, Three Asaro Mudmen (New Guinea), 1970.  Sold for $92,500; Estimate: $40,000 – $60,000

(Above) #263: Robert Frank, Charleston, South Carolina, 1955

Sold for $182,500; Estimate: $30,000 – $50,000

#269: Robert Mapplethorpe, Thomas, 1987

Sold for $8,750; Estimate: $5,000 – $7,000

#272: Robert Mapplethorpe, Grace Jones (Painted by Keith Haring), 1984

Sold for $27,500; Estimate: $10,000 – $15,000

#278: Irving Penn, New Guinea Man with Painted-On Glasses, 1970

Sold for $26,250; Estimate: $20,000 – $30,000

#279: Irving Penn, Tambul Warrior (New Guinea), 1970

Sold for $74,500; Estimate: $30,000 – $50,000

#283: Irving Penn, Nude 58, 1949-1950

Sold for $43,750; Estimate: $30,000 – $50,000

#314: Walker Evans, Street Portrait, Chicago, 1946

Sold for $30,000; Estimate: $30,000 – $50,000

(Above) #319: Manuel Alvarez Bravo, La Buena Fama Durmiendo, 1930

Sold for $8,125; Estimate: $5,000 – $7,000

#321: Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Frida con Globo, Coyoacan, Mexico, 1938

Sold for $9,375; Estimate: $6,000 – $8,000

(Below) #332: Weegee, Easter Sunday, Harlem, 1940.  Sold for $3,750; Estimate: $4,000 – $6,000

Photographs Sale – Sotheby’s

On April 3rd, Sotheby’s held a sale of Photographs which included images from the African diaspora. In this posting I am also taking note on the work of Latin American/latino photographers from the modern and contemporary era.

Margaret Bourke-White, Gold Miners, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1950

Lot #72
Margaret Bourke-White, Gold Miners, Johannesburg, South Africa
Sold $ 8,750; Estimate 10,000-15,000 USD

Manuel Alvarez Bravo
#94, Escalera Con Barandal: Sold $ 15,000; Estimate 15,000 – 25,000 USD

#95, La Buena Farma Durmiendo: Sold $ 15,000; Estimate 8,000 – 12,000 USD

#96, Los Agachados: Sold $ 8,125; Estimate 8,000 – 12,000 USD

Lot #132
Robert Frank, Belle Isle-Detroit
Estimate 20,000 – 30,000 USD

Lot #152
Annie Leibovitz, Evander Holyfield
Sold $ 3,750; Estimate 5,000 – 7,000 USD

Lot #168
Andres Serrano, Black Mary
Estimate 30,000 – 50,000 USD

The above reported sales are for hammer price with buyer’s premium.