This sale at Christie’s is part of a larger series of online photography sales where all the lots have come from the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Between now and April of 2018, Christie’s will hold a total of 7 online actions, with a mix of single artist sales and wider gatherings of material. Whether the purely online market is now robust enough to deliver solid results for all of this MoMA material (over 400 lots across all of the sales) remains to be seen.
This sale provides a deep dive into the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson, with images drawn from his time in France, Spain, Italy, Mexico, India, and elsewhere. While there are only a few vintage prints on offer, there are plenty of classic images (with a prestigious museum provenance) to tempt collectors. Overall, there are a total of 35 lots available in the sale, with a Total High Estimate of $667000.
Here’s the statistical breakdown:
| Preview Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000) | 16 |
| Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of low lots) | $118000 |
| Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000) | 16 |
| Total Mid Estimate | $349000 |
| Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000) | 3 |
| Total High Estimate | $200000 |
The top lot by High estimate is tied between two lots: lot 2, Henri Cartier-Bresson, On the Banks of the Marne, France, 1938/1968, and lot 16, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Coney Island, New York, 1946, both estimated at $50000-70000 (images above, via Christie’s).
Other lots of interest include (images above, via Christie’s):
Lot 4, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Valencia, Spain, 1933/1968, estimated at $30000-50000
Lot 6, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Madrid, 1933/1968, estimated at $40000-60000
The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.
