Sotheby’s various owner Photographs sale next week mixes a few anchor pieces with a healthy share of more predictable material. Led by a pair of Stieglitz images of Georgia O’Keeffe (one portrait and one nude), the auction tent poles include vintage portraits by Edward Weston and August Sander, a Man Ray rayograph album, and a Steichen maypole (Empire State building multiple exposure). Overall, there are a total of 186 photography lots available, with a Total High Estimate of $6364000.
Here’s the statistical breakdown:
| Preview Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000) | 75 |
| Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of low lots) | $603000 |
| Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000) | 85 |
| Total Mid Estimate | $2031000 |
| Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000) | 26 |
| Total High Estimate | $3730000 |
The top lot by High estimate is tied between two lots: lot 57, Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O’Keeffe (By Car), 1933, and lot 106, Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O’Keeffe (Nude Study), 1918-1919 (image above, right, via Sotheby’s), both estimated at $300000-500000.
Here’s the complete list of photographers with five or more lots in the sale, along with the number of lots on offer:
| Multiple Lots For Sale | |
|---|---|
| Berenice Abbott | 10 |
| Ansel Adams | 9 |
| Henri Cartier-Bresson | 8 |
| Peter Beard | 7 |
| Irving Penn | 7 |
| Harry Callahan | 6 |
| André Kertész | 6 |
| Edward Weston | 6 |
| Bill Brandt | 5 |
| Brett Weston | 5 |
Other lots of interest include lot 33, Edward Weston, Head of an Italian Girl (Tina Modotti), 1921, estimated at $250000-350000 (image above, middle, via Sotheby’s), and lot 116, Alexander Rodchenko, Radio Tower, 1929/1935, estimated at $50000-70000 (image above, left, via Sotheby’s).
The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.
