The photography available in Sotheby’s upcoming Contemporary Art sales in London is almost entirely dominated by a single lot. After the scarce 1977 Gilbert and George piece (with its interplay of black and white and red tinting typical from the early period in their joint career), the photo offerings taper off quickly, with few notable works beyond Piotr Uklanski’s typology of movie star Nazis. Overall, there are total of 18 photographs available across the two sales, with a Total High Estimate for photography of £2414000.
Here’s the statistical breakdown:
| Preview Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including £5000) | 0 |
| Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of low lots) | £0 |
| Total Mid Lots (high estimate between £5000 and £25000) | 11 |
| Total Mid Estimate | £159000 |
| Total High Lots (high estimate above £25000) | 7 |
| Total High Estimate | £2255000 |
The top photography lot by High estimate is lot 15, Gilbert and George, Shag Stiff, 1977, estimated at £1000000-1500000 (image above, via Sotheby’s).
Here’s the complete list of photographers with two or more lots in the sales, along with the number of lots on offer:
| Multiple Lots For Sale | |
|---|---|
| Wim Delvoye | 2 |
| Gilbert & George | 2 |
| Gerhard Richter | 2 |
| Wolfgang Tillmans | 2 |
| Hiroshi Sugimoto | 2 |
Other lots of interest include (images above, via Sotheby’s):
Lot 2, Wolfgang Tillmans, Freischwimmer 119, 2005, estimated at £80000-120000
Lot 52, Piotr Uklanski, The Nazis (Sets A, B, C, D), 1998, estimated at £300000-400000
Lot 279, Wim Delvoye, Lick, 2001, estimated at £7000-9000
The complete lot by lot catalogs can be found here (Evening) and here (Day).
